COMMENTARY

By Steve Wilstein

AP columnist

updated 9:05 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2004

ATHENS, Greece - Bela Karolyi’s right fist shook throughout the final floor exercises, the gold on the line between his native country, Romania, and his adopted land, the United States.

His stomach, he said, was churning, his pulse was racing, and his thick gray mustache was twitching.

One awkward twist, one wayward somersault, one faulty landing among any of the three gymnasts for either team would make the difference.

“I’m much more nervous sitting up here than standing on the floor,” said the old bear of a coach who transformed the world of gymnastics from the East to the West.

Consigned to the uncomfortable role of spectator Tuesday night, four rows up from the floor, he watched Romania once again claim the Olympic women’s team gold. The American team, which his wife Martha helped choose, train and direct at their Texas ranch, settled for silver and an extra bit of satisfaction in leaving the once dominant Russians with bronze.

FREE VIDEO Another Karolyi leads Aug. 16: Following the less-than-perfect showing of the women's gymnastics team four years ago, big changes were made. And as NBC's Dennis Murphy reports, the person leading the charge isn't who you might expect. Nightly News

After he stood quietly, listening to the Romanian anthem during the medals ceremony, Karolyi was asked if it was particularly painful hearing that song again at Olympic gymnastics.

“You hurt in your heart, not being able to deliver completely, but still we’re very satisfied,” he said. “Romania had solid and strong performances. Tonight they were best.”

There was no shame in a silver that matched their male counterparts. Not for a team that had been so low, so disorganized only a few years ago.

From the chaos, complaining and blaming of Karolyi after the mess of a team he ran in Sydney, the team his wife coordinated showed the kind of poise and resolve it takes to compete at the top level.

They were a steely bunch, the six who survived the intense and secretive selection process organized by Martha Karolyi. They won three golds at the world championships last year, including the team event, and came here fully expecting to win. That they didn’t was no reason to hang their heads and no reason to blame them for failure.

They made tiny mistakes — Carly Patterson on the uneven bar, Courtney Kupets on the floor — and paid for them.

But they could also be proud of the way 25-year-old Mohini Bhardwaj came in at the last minute to replace Kupets on the balance beam, allowing Kupets to nurse her sore right leg a little longer before performing on the floor.

“For Mohini to come in like that, with three minutes warning, that shows the preparation this whole team had,” Bela Karolyi said. “The optimism for the future is really, really bright. We have a unique American system. Of course, the other countries are angry because we showed we can establish a strong central training program even in the United States. Togetherness is what we want to see for a long time.”

Annia Hatch, the 26-year-old who missed nationals because of a knee injury, justified her selection to the team by scoring the highest on the vault, 9.562.

All the planning in the world can’t prevent injuries and the mistakes that get magnified in intense competition against a polished team like Romania, which won by the slim margin of 114.283 to 113.584. Russia had 113.235.

With the Romanian fans almost equaling the number of Americans in the arena — red, yellow and blue flags competing for attention with the red, white and blue — Catalina Ponor came through as the star of the night.

Her grace and precision on the balance beam and floor exercise earned the highest scores — 9.762 and 9.750 — nailed down the gold for Romania, and brought applause even from Karoyli. He appreciates a great performance, even if it hurts on the inside.

Winning silver medals and seeing the Russians, with their charismatic star Svetlana Khorkina, relegated to bronze, showed the Americans they’re on the right track toward becoming a gymnastics power.

“I never stated a goal,” Martha said. “That was a major competition out there. We’re happy because we pulled ourselves back on the medal stand.”

It’s a program that puts a premium on coaches and athletes working in harmony, coming together every month to check their progress. They defer to the Karolyis, especially Martha, but there’s input from everyone.

The internal competition is fierce, every day designed to prepare the gymnasts for the intense pressure of an Olympics.

They won only silver this time, but they showed they have the foundation for gold.

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