Béla Károlyi, Divisive Coach of Numerous Olympic Women's Gymnastics Stars, Dies at 82

The towering figure mentored champions while attracting controversy for his methods.

Marta and Bela Karolyi at the 2012 U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials in San Jose. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Bela Karolyi, a longtime gymnastics coach who mentored some of the sport's most successful competitors while courting controversy over his methods, died Friday. He was 82.

"USA Gymnastics has confirmed the passing of Hall of Fame coach Bela Karolyi," American gymnastics's governing body said in a Saturday evening statement.

Karolyi was born in what is now Romania in 1942, and rose quickly through the Romanian dictatorship's coaching ranks. In 1976, he coached Nadia Comaneci to three gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Montreal; five years later, he defected from Romania to the United States.

Comaneci was the first of a number of prominent gymnasts Karolyi coached, including Americans such as Mary Lou Retton and Kerri Strug. He eventually served as the U.S. women's national team coordinator from 1999 to 2001.

From the start of his career, Karolyi polarized his sport; several of his former gymnasts have characterized his coaching methods as abusive. His eponymous ranch in Texas, formerly a central training center for the U.S. national team, was closed after disgraced doctor Larry Nassar was found to have repeatedly sexually assaulted gymnasts there.

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