Comaneci’s Star Shines in Performance

Nadia Comaneci, the Romanian gymnast who won America’s heart 14 years ago with perfect Olympic performances, has returned to the warm spotlight and old friends after spending recent weeks out in the cold.

Thursday night, the 28-year-old who defected four months ago made a triumphant return to gymnastics by performing for a near-capacity crowd in the 1,800-seat Ziegfeld Theater inside Bally’s Reno hotel-casino.

It was her first U.S. exhibition in nine years and the first time in six years she publicly performed cartwheels and back aerials, although not as gracefully as during the 1976 Olympics when she became the first gymnast to score a perfect 10--again and again.

Comaneci also was back in the arms of former coach Bela Karolyi, who came to Reno for a reunion with his star pupil after nearly six years apart. Their emotional hug on stage was reminiscent of the embrace they shared in Montreal after the lithe 14-year-old ran into Karolyi’s arms after her dismount from a balance beam that produced her first perfect score.

Fighting off tears, Comaneci told the crowd: “I’m glad to be in my new homeland. This is very emotional for me. . . . I love America. I love you all.”

Karolyi, in defending Comaneci’s recent public relations troubles prompted by tales of spending sprees and married lovers, said she must have been emotionally lost upon her arrival in the United States.

“Ten years ago, I was standing in the streets of Los Angeles a desperate man,” he said. “Ten years later, I believe Nadia was just as desperate as me.

“I am so happy she is here to regain her glory, her status that she deserves,” added Karolyi, who defected 10 years ago.

Comaneci holds 21 gold medals from Olympic and World Championship events.

Sixteen younger gymnasts, including top-ranked Americans Kim Zmeskal and Lance Ringnald, also were in the performance taped at Bally’s for airing April 21 by ABC Sports. But Comaneci was the obvious star and crowd favorite.

“Americans very much want to love Nadia,” said two-time Olympic gold medalist Bart Conner, who hosted the show. “In time, I think they will again.”

Comaneci got bad press because of her relationship with Constantin Panait, a Romanian emigre from Florida who helped her escape the country under the former regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. Panait is married with children.

The gymnast has since parted from Panait and moved to Montreal, where she lives with Alexander Stefu, a Romanian, and his wife.

Paul Ziert, former gymnastic coach and producer of the show, said he is thinking of touring with Comaneci.

“Nadia again is excited and motivated,” Ziert said. “She sees that she can still do what she loves, that she can still be a part of gymnastics.”