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I know my life story sounds too extraordinary to be true.

I remember everything from 1976. I remember I was 14, and I remember my routines.

I remember before the Olympics, I was asked, 'What do you think you're going to do in the Olympics?' and I said, 'I'm hoping I'm going to win a medal, and, if possible, it's going to be a gold one.'

From Nadia Comaneci

At 14, you think you compete, you retire and you get a job. I didn't think gymnastics was a career that was going to change my life.

From Nadia Comaneci

I didn't know I wanted to be a gymnast; I was just introduced to the gym. I loved the place because it looked like a hi-tech playground with mats and a lot of things I can hang from.

From Nadia Comaneci

At some particular time, when I was 14 years old, I've done something that people didn't expect.

From Nadia Comaneci

I think that when you are on a four-inch balance beam, you don't care about laughing or smiling or waving to the crowd because you're going to be down in a second.

From Nadia Comaneci

People ask me what the definition of perfection, I said it's none: there is no definition of perfection.

From Nadia Comaneci

I had more pressure when I competed in Moscow. I had no pressure in Montreal because I only went to do my routines and hoping I didn't mess it up when I was on the bar. When I came back, 10,000 people were at the airport and I thought, 'Why?' because, in my mind, I hadn't done anything different from what I used to do in my gym.

From Nadia Comaneci

People think you have pressure when you are young. It's the other way round, actually.

From Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Comaneci

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