A meeting with world gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci was - and still can be - a life-changing moment, generations of young girls having been inspired by the athlete who 'defeated artificial intelligence' in Montreal in 1976 when she proved perfection was possible.

Simona Amanar Tabara, herself a gymnast who wrote golden pages in this Olympic discipline, recalls what Nadia meant to her and how their first encounter unfolded. Simona's mother was fascinated by Comaneci and dreamed that her daughter would one day become a champion - a dream that ultimately came true.

Back then, every child embraced gymnastics with Nadia Comaneci and Dan Grecu as role models, Simona says.

'For me, at six years old, when I started gymnastics, Nadia's name was just something I heard adults mention, I didn't really understand who she was. My mother, however, admired Nadia enormously and wanted me to become like her. Nadia is unmatched in what she achieved and what she represents in gymnastics, but I believe my mother's dream of getting me close to Nadia's results was fulfilled,' Amanar Tabara told AGERPRES.

She added that her mother came close several times to meeting Nadia 'in the flesh', but it never happened before her passing. 'After I grew up and started having my own competition results, I began to understand who Nadia really was. Her image became a role model for me. I later met her and discovered that, besides being a great athlete, Nadia is also a wonderful person.'

Simona remembers their first meeting vividly: 'It was in Constanta, when I was very little, about nine years old. I was so excited and happy to see her. She asked each of us our names, and I was so emotional that I froze - my coach had to answer for me. She stayed a bit longer to watch us train.'

She met Comaneci again at her next major competition, the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, Japan. 'Those meetings with Nadia were exciting and encouraging,' she told AGERPRES.

The gymnast from Constanta, who settled in Timisoara after marrying Cosmin Tabara, has begun a teaching career at the West University of Timisoara, where she helps train new generations of gymnasts, offering both her own example and that of Nadia Comaneci.

A member of the golden generation who followed into Nadia's footsteps and helped place Romania on the top positions of world and Olympic podiums, she continues to visit schools, speaking with students about the importance of sport and helping identify new talent.

Photo credit: Simona Amanar Tabara / Facebook

'I chose an academic career in Timisoara, where my family is. Nadia, myself and other Romanian athletes are reference points for young people who follow sport, for children in school. I often go to schools and talk to pupils and students about what Romanian sport represents. We live in controversial, difficult times - times of conflict and agitation, when we must adapt to new technologies and face new societal challenges. I believe that role models who succeeded through real work must be brought forward and followed,' the former gymnast underscored.

As for the future of Romanian gymnastics, she notes that much is being discussed about what is needed to regain past performance levels. Greater respect within the field, a new mindset and new ways of working are essential, she argues. The names of Nadia and other great Romanian athletes remain benchmarks, but sustaining new achievements requires respect, acknowledgment of mistakes and values, and greater private-sector involvement in supporting sports clubs.

'The current system no longer works as it once did. We need to recognize what was good, see where mistakes were made, separate the two and rebuild a truly competitive system. Clubs must be given more importance, and there must be openness to private-sector involvement. That is where I see the future of sport, of gymnastics. Those who still have a more conflictual temperament must understand that this is not the solution - scandals damage the image of this sport and inevitably lead to its decline,' she explained.

In the Nadia Comaneci Year, today's children know a great deal about this gymnastics legend, as her name is frequently mentioned in the media and on social networks. Television and the press have given her extensive coverage, and she is widely known around the world, not only in Romania. According to Simona Amanar Tabara, Nadia, Ilie Nastase and Gheorghe Hagi remain the most famous Romanian names internationally.

'Regrettably, at home we often focus on negative aspects, and there is constant harsh criticism of those who build and achieve. A balance must be found. Fortunately, most people understand what Nadia means for world gymnastics and for Romania. I am very happy to be her contemporary, to be part of the elite of Romanian gymnastics alongside Nadia,' she concluded.

And because gymnastics is the harmony of the body, every great performance reminds us that a winner is simply a dreamer who never gave up - and that the highest mountain is always within us.

On July 10, 2025, President Nicusor Dan signed the decree promulgating the law designating 2026 as the 'Nadia Comaneci Year', marking 50 years since the Romanian gymnast's legendary performances at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, where she earned the first perfect 10 in world gymnastics. Throughout 2026, a series of events coordinated by the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee will be held under this designation.

'On the occasion of the celebration of the 'Nadia Comaneci Year', a legend of national and world sport, central and local public authorities, sports institutions and organizations of national minorities may organize sporting, educational and artistic events,' the law states.

Parliament, the Presidential Administration, the Government, local authorities and the public institutions under their coordination may allocate funds from their own budgets or from legally attracted sources to organize or support, logistically and/or financially, the sporting, cultural, artistic, educational or promotional events included in the program, within approved budget limits.

The 21st edition of the Summer Olympic Games has gone down in history as the 'Nadia Comaneci Olympics', synonymous with perfection in artistic gymnastics. In a world first, Comaneci received a score of 10 on the uneven bars - a result the electronic scoreboard was unable to display, as the system had not been programmed for a perfect score.

At just 14, Nadia Comaneci became the star of the Games. She was not only the first gymnast to achieve a perfect 10 at the Olympics, but she did so seven times in a single edition - a historic record. She won three gold medals (all-around, balance beam, uneven bars), a silver medal with the team, and a bronze in the floor event. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Otilia Halunga; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)