Wonder Woman of the Week: Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Comaneci is remembered as one of the greatest athletes of all time for her perfect (in the most literal sense possible) Olympic performances. But there is far more to this former Olympian than her athletic accomplishments. Comaneci became a role model for girls in gymnastics all over the world- especially in her home country of Romania which at the time of Comaneci's Olympic successes was in the height of Cold War tensions where the Soviet-American conflict neared midnight hour (reference to the Doomsday Clock). Comaneci's accomplishments would make her a national hero, but she defected to the United States to escape the rising dangers in Communist Europe and from there, her story only became more inspiring.

After moving to the United States, Nadia Comaneci remained relatively free from the public life (with the exception of headlines about an underwear advertisement), but in 1999, Comaneci was named "Athlete of the Century" after winning the World Sports Award of the Century. After winning the award, Comaneci began promoting the sport of gymnastics around the world and helped inspire the next generation of Olympic gymnasts.

"Nadia Comaneci Biography." Biography.com. A&E Television; nd. Web. 14 June 2017.