30 for 30 Podcasts7 Jul 2020

TRAILER: HEAVY MEDALS

For 40 years, as athletes came and went, there was one constant presence in Olympic gymnastics: Bela and Martha Karolyi — the most successful coaches in the sport's history, and the most controversial. The Karolyis wielded unprecedented power and became more recognizable characters than many of their gymnasts. Generations of gymnasts trained at their isolated ranch outside of Houston, where the Karolyis were champion-making teachers to some and tormentors to others. In front of the cameras, Bela was the bear-hugging motivator who pushed his athletes to the limit and Martha was the silent partner who demanded perfection. From the 1970s through the 1990s, the Karolyis coached some of the greatest names in the sport, from Nadia Comaneci to Mary Lou Retton and Kerri Strug. The couple then took over the U.S. national team program that featured Olympic champions like Carly Patterson and Simone Biles. Few dared challenge the Karolyis’ coaching methods, and those who did were ignored or ostracized. But in 2016, their accomplishments came under fire as the extent of Larry Nassar’s predatory sexual abuse was exposed. "Heavy Medals: Inside the Karolyi Gymnastics Empire" is a 7-part series from 30 for 30 Podcasts, in collaboration with espnW. All seven episodes available July 14th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Episoder(102)

HEAVY MEDALS Part 3: The Bela Show

Growing his image as the most well-known coach in gymnastics, Bela builds his brand and aims for more gold medals with a new star athlete. But after his champion fails at the 1992 Olympic Games in Bar...

14 Jul 202034min

HEAVY MEDALS Part 2: American Hustle

After defecting from Romania, the Karolyis begin to build their gymnastics empire in the U.S. But they need a champion. Enter Mary Lou Retton, the bubbly teenager whose perfect 10 at the 1984 Olympics...

14 Jul 202043min

HEAVY MEDALS Part 1: Made in Romania

In the middle of the Cold War, Romanian gymnastics coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi turn Nadia Comaneci, a 14-year-old gymnast from a Communist country, into a global symbol of excellence at the 1976 O...

14 Jul 202040min

S6, E4: CURSED AND BLESSED

According to local legend, the Louisiana Superdome was always a haunted place. First plagued by construction problems, then years of bad luck for the host Saints team -- by 2005 those Saints were prep...

2 Des 201947min

S6, E3: THE FALL OF THE CONDOR

During qualifying for the 1990 World Cup, Chile's national team felt that it needed to be "more bandits than the bandits." Driven by an intense desire to eliminate rival Brazil, goalkeeper Roberto Roj...

26 Nov 201950min

S6, E2: OUT OF THE WOODS

World-class biathlete Kari Swenson was on an afternoon trail run in the mountains near Big Sky, Montana in July 1984 when two men blocked her path. Reported by ESPN's Bonnie Ford. Hosted by Jody Avirg...

19 Nov 201948min

S6, E1: THE SPY WHO SIGNED ME

For legends Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, life in the WNBA paled in comparison to the lavish treatment they received in Russian professional basketball, courtesy of their team owner and benefactor, Shab...

12 Nov 201947min