Karolyi Returns to Guide U.S.

Distressed by a poor showing at the recent world championships and worried about the women’s gymnastics team’s medal prospects for Sydney, USA Gymnastics has brought Bela Karolyi out of retirement to be national team coordinator.

Karolyi--the controversial figure known for his work with gymnasts from Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton to 1996 Olympic standout Kerri Strug--won’t hold the title of U.S. Olympic coach but will oversee a revamped training program, including a series of minicamps and a pre-Olympic camp at his Houston gym. He also will be responsible for the final preparation and selection of the U.S. team after the Olympic trials in August.

Bob Colarossi, president of USA Gymnastics, said he isn’t concerned about perceptions of Karolyi’s “strong personality.”

“It’s absolutely the reason why we appointed Bela,” Colarossi said. “You need to be strong on the floor in Olympic competition.

“I don’t think Bela’s goal is to go out and steal the show. This is about all of us combining our efforts and helping this country do as much as we can on the floor of Olympic competition.”

Since winning the team gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the U.S. women have faltered in international competition, most recently finishing sixth at the world championships in China last month, a performance Colarossi called “much less than desired.”

Top contenders Kristen Maloney and Vanessa Atler, a 17-year-old from Canyon Country, struggled with falls and later withdrew from the all-around because of nagging injuries.

Atler, a gifted but inexperienced gymnast who repeatedly has fallen in major competitions, left her longtime coaches with the Charter Oak Gliders in Covina before competing in the world championships but is expected to begin training with former Olympic champion Valery Liukin in Plano, Texas, after recovering from ankle surgery.

The system of personal coaches has served the U.S. team well in the past, but former national team coach Don Peters--now the coach of Olympic hopeful Jeanette Antolin of Huntington Beach--said a change was needed after the U.S. team performed badly in China despite solid potential.

“I think this is a great move,” Peters said. “I think we’ve been not performing as well as we potentially should have the last couple of world championships mostly because the system in place didn’t have a leader who had authority or power.

“Bela and I had conflict in the past when I was the national coach and he was one of the personal coaches, but I think you need someone with a strong personality.”

Karolyi will not be the personal coach for any gymnasts, saying that would be “an immense conflict of interest,” and that he has come out of retirement only to oversee the effort.

Colarossi said it was important to make the move now, with nine months to prepare for the Olympics.

“The easy thing to do would be to sit back and hope for better results in Sydney,” he said. “We’re trying to step in and make a change for a different result in Sydney.”