It Was All Too Much
At just 15 years old, Nadia Comăneci’s life had been turned upside down and inside out. In a few short years, she had transitioned from a carefree child performing cartwheels in the playground to becoming the world’s most celebrated gymnastics star. Simultaneously, her family life was disintegrating, and she had been forcibly separated from the coach who had guided her since she was six.
The relentless attention and pressure from all directions took their toll, leading Comăneci to a harrowing decision: she attempted to take her own life. Fortunately, she was unsuccessful, and her cry for help did not go unnoticed by the Romanian authorities. They intervened, reuniting her with Béla Károlyi to restore stability to her life.
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