Bela Karolyi, the embattled yet successful gymnastics coach who helped young women vault to the highest levels of the sport in the Olympics, has died at the age of 82, USA Gymnastics has announced.

Bela Karolyi, a controversial figure in the world of gymnastics, has trained a plethora of Olympic superstars, from Nadia Comaneci to Mary Lou Retton. Karolyi died at the age of 82 on5, 2024. Over the course of his career,

Bela Karolyi, the larger-than-life coach who led Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton to Olympic gold while revolutionizing the sport of gymnastics, only to see his legacy destroyed by allegations of abusive coaching,

Karolyi briefly retired after the 1992 Games in Barcelona, where he led the Americans to their first team medal, a bronze, at a non-boycotted Olympics in 44 years. But he kept his gym and summer camps, and by 1994 was again coaching elite-level gymnasts after Zmeskal asked him to help in her attempt to make the Atlanta Games.

Legendary and controversial coach Béla Károlyi, who died on Friday, played a key role in transforming USA Gymnastics into an Olympic and international competition powerhouse, turning out superstars like Kerri Strug and Nadia Comăneci.

Karolyi developed USA Gymnastics into a global force, but his legacy would be tainted by the Larry Nassar scandal

Former American and Romanian gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi died on Friday at age 82, according to USA Gymnastics. Karolyi and his wife, Martha

Bela Karolyi, the legendary and controversial Romanian American gymnastics coach who helped lead Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci and Kerri Strug to Olympic gold, has died, USA Gymnastics announced. He was 82.

Bela Karolyi coached several renowned gymnasts, including Mary Lou Retton, Kerri Strug and Julianne McNamara. But he was known for harsh methods of training.

Karolyi and his wife, Martha, cultivated champions in Romania and the United States throughout their 30-year career. Some gymnasts said he used harsh tactics.