SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Bela Karolyi, the controversial and charismatic man who changed women's gymnastics, has died. The famed Romanian coach helped reshape the sport and turn Team USA into the powerhouse we know today. He coached Olympic champions like Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comaneci, who made history at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 becoming the first gymnast ever to score a perfect 10.
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UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER: There it is - 10, the score that we said made Olympic history only days ago now.
DETROW: Karolyi was part of another iconic Olympic moment two decades after that, carrying the injured Kerri Strug onto the medal stand when the U.S. women's team won gold. In 1988, Karolyi spoke with NPR's Morning Edition about the secret to his success as a coach.
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BELA KAROLYI: I worked my way into it. I tried to study on my own, watch the kids, and after those many years, I would say, yes, the kids are the best teachers in the world. I learned all what I know from them.
DETROW: Karolyi began coaching in his native Romania, but soon after his initial Olympic success, he criticized the judging at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, an action that he said was considered tremendously anticommunist. Here's what he told Fresh Air in 1994.
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KAROLYI: From that point, my life was - actually was put under the very, very keen watch of the government.
DETROW: In 1981, he and his wife, Marta, defected to the United States.
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KAROLYI: I was removed from gymnastic community and even from my own profession, working at the docks, loading/unloading sheep, cleaning restaurants, which is part of - probably of the very beginning American life for any kind of immigrant who comes in. But I believe that just make you stronger.
DETROW: Despite Karolyi's many triumphant Olympic moments, he leaves behind a complicated legacy. Nancy Armour, a sports columnist for USA Today, says he and Marta were known for their harsh training style.
NANCY ARMOUR: Unfortunately, that was not uncommon in gymnastics at the time and a lot of youth sports, unfortunately - allegations of abuse, whether it was physical abuse or emotional abuse, telling gymnasts that they were too fat, that they weren't good enough. But again, because he had trained very successful gymnasts and had won- you know, led them to Olympic gold medals, a lot of that was excused or ignored.
DETROW: Armour says it's that approach, at least in part, that helped fuel the massive scandal that rocked USA Gymnastics when it came to light that former Team USA doctor, Larry Nassar, had sexually abused hundreds of women and girls. Some of that abuse happened at the Karolyis' national training camp in Texas.
ARMOUR: The tone or the atmosphere that he helped set or establish in gymnastics in the United States helped foster a culture that made gymnasts feel that they did not have the power to speak up or to challenge things. And it was in that environment that Larry Nassar was allowed to operate for as long as he did.
DETROW: The Karolyis denied any knowledge of the abuse, but the scandal left an indelible mark on their legacy. Bela Karolyi died on Friday. He was 82.
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