![]() ![]() You didn't see a lot of repeat Olympians, right? So the Karolyis were easy to wrap your coverage around, especially Bela because he was so media- and camera-friendly. They were these consistent figures where as an individual gymnast would have maybe a four-year cycle - especially back in that day. They came here on the heels of Nadia Comaneci's success and the Romanian team's success, so they already had names when they arrived and then quickly had Mary Lou Retton, and then world champion, then Olympians after Olympians. He was the carnival barker of the two of them, right? You know, it'd be a tough competition to match Bela Karolyi in the game of playing the media. Martha is not someone who ever loved the spotlight, but Bela lived for the spotlight and played the media better than perhaps any sports figure. You know, the Karolyis - people tended to not even pull them apart as Bela and Martha Karolyi. You know, arguably I don't think there are bigger figures in the sport of gymnastics.Their name became synonymous with the sport. Right on, so for people who are maybe unfamiliar, could you talk a little bit about how large the Karolyi legacy looms and influences the sport of gymnastics? So that includes winter and summer my first Olympics with ESPN was the 2006 Reno Winter Olympics, and then every Olympics after, this would have been my eighth, I believe. You covered the last seven Olympics - is that right? Roenigk spoke with Salon about the production of the podcast, the dichotomous opinions about Bela Karolyi, and why American parents, athletes, and coaches should adjust their definition of success. "It's still a very important story, but it's time to start looking at those around him who enabled him, who cultivated the culture that allowed for a predator like him to abuse for decades." "It's now almost four years since the Larry Nassar news broke," Roenigk said. Hosted and reported by ESPN senior writers Bonnie Ford and Alyssa Roenigk, "Heavy Medals" serves as a revealing companion piece for recent releases like Netflix's striking documentary "Athlete A," which focuses on the survivors of the abuse of USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Now, ESPN's "30 for 30" has released "Heavy Medals," a seven-episode podcast series about the Karolyis' life and legacy in the sport, and how their leadership both helped propel American gymnastics to the top of the podium, but also created an atmosphere that hurt the athletes who ended up there. And in return for their success, they were granted unprecedented power, and became more recognizable than many of their gymnasts. During their 32-year reign, they delivered 46 Olympic medals for the United States. ![]() The couple - Bela and Martha - erupted onto the world stage when their 14-year-old gymnast, Nadia Comaneci, scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic history in 1976.įive years later, after defecting from communist Romania to America, they began climbing to the top of the sport yet again. For nearly four decades, as athletes came and went, there was one constant presence in Olympic gymnastics: the Karolyis. ![]()
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