Five-time Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comaneci has left a remarkable legacy in gymnastics. When questioned about the secret to her success, she points to the "Nadia Touch."

Speaking to Olympics.com in 2024, Comaneci reflected on the 1976 Montreal Games and her enduring legacy.

50 years ago, the then 14-year-old Romanian athlete became the first gymnast to receive a perfect 10 at the Olympics. It was just the beginning as she went on to repeat the feat six more times at the event — including in all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam.

“I was asked, ‘What do you think you’re going to do at the Olympics?’" she told Scott Bregman from Olympics.com. "I don’t know. I hope to win a medal and, hopefully, it’s gold.”

Under the bright lights, she added her own genius to the routine.

“Everybody had to do the same routine by the book,” explains Comaneci. “What does it mean to be better if everybody will do the same thing. Like, what can I add to that? I call it the Nadia touch."

Till Sydney Olympics in 2000, gymnasts were expected to perform compulsory routines, which implied everyone doing the same moves to set a benchmark. A rule that Comaneci defied 24 years prior in Montreal.

"I added amplitude to every skill, so it looks like in the book, but I just added a little something," she recalled.

In gymnastics, amplitude refers to the degree of execution of a skill. It is used to discern the quality with which a gymnast performs their routine.

And Comaneci seemingly had that in abundance. Adding the "Nadia Touch" to her set, she delivered a series of remarkable performances.

She walked away with three gold medals, a feat that established her as the youngest all-around gold medalist in the history of Olympic gymnastics.

While the viewers admired her scores, Comaneci's focus was more on avoiding mistakes.

“I didn’t even think about the score,” she said. “I was more into not making a mistake because the Olympics are every four years, just trying to concentrate on what I have to deliver in that minute and 20 seconds."

Her legacy extends beyond the Nadia Touch, as she showcased other skills that left an indelible mark on gymnastics: the Comaneci Dismount and the Salto.

The Salto was a rare move on uneven bars in which she would let go of the high bar, do a front flip in the air, and quickly grab the bar again. A groundbreaking maneuver, as gymnasts previously would stay on the bar.

Similarly, instead of jumping off the bars, she would do a backflip with a half-twist to land perfectly on the mat. The skill was simply labelled the Comaneci Dismount.

Comaneci's brilliance even led to a shift in scoring conventions, as traditional "1.0" scoreboards weren't enough. Her performance ushered in scoreboards capable of displaying 10.00.

Her influence, or simply put, the Nadia Touch, seemingly changed many folds of the sport.

Nadia Comaneci on Simone Biles

Cut to the recent present, Comaneci spoke on the current stars dominating gymnastics, namely Simone Biles.

She highlighted the American gymnast's impact on the sport at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championship in Antwerp.

“I say that almost every half of a century somebody comes (and changes the sport),” Comaneci told the Olympics. “She’s (Biles) this generation’s modern idol right now.”

Having seen and done it all, the Romanian knows a thing or two about athletes who can change the dimensions of their sport.

“It’s very unique in our sport to go away for two years and come back with almost the most difficulty that anybody can think about,” she stated.  "When you talk about gymnastics right now, everybody talks about Simone."

Like Comaneci, Biles has built her own legacy in gymnastics, with seven Olympic gold medals. Her achievements even led to the rule book adding five elements named in her honor.

Read more at the Gymnastics Digest!

Written by

Sebi Mehta

Edited by

Sijo Paul