Top 10
Nadia Comăneci’s astounding achievements in Montréal transformed her into a national hero in Romania and catapulted her to international stardom. She was showered with gifts and honors in her home country, and Time magazine featured her on its cover. The BBC recognized her as “Sports Personality of the Year” at its annual awards ceremony.
In a remarkable twist of fate, Comăneci’s fame also extended beyond gymnastics. A reporter from ABC’s Wide World Of Sports aired a series of slow-motion clips of her performances set to the soundtrack of “Cotton’s Dream” from the 1971 movie Bless the Beasts and Children. This music became so intertwined with Nadia Comăneci that its composers renamed it “Nadia’s Theme,” it quickly climbed the music charts, giving her a top-ten single to add to her list of accomplishments.
