Back in Romania, always I was struggling to compete with Vladislav Rastorotsky, the great Russian coach of Lyudmila Turishcheva. He was a powerful coach, internationally. I took him like the major challenge of my life, and pretty soon I'm beating him and we are pushing each other so hard, so fierce. But out of the arena, we are friends.

I would love very much to win a medal at the Olympics for myself, by my own performance. But that will never happen.

The rest of the world laughed at American gymnastics before I came.

Bela Karolyi Quotes