The Defection and its Aftermath

In the middle of the Cold War, Romanian gymnastics coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi turn Nadia Comaneci, a 14-year-old gymnast from a Communist country, into a global symbol of excellence at the 1976 Olympics when she scores the first perfect 10. But Romania becomes too small and too controlled for Bela’s ambitions, and the Karolyis set their sights on the freedom of the United States.

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