National Pride
Nadia Comăneci left the country as a talented young gymnast and she returned home a national hero. After all, no other athlete in Romanian history had ever accomplished what she did. President Nicolae Ceaușescu even awarded the teenager the “Sickle and Hammer Gold Medal” that declared her a hero of “Socialist Labor”. The grapevine also reported that the government gifted the family a car and allowed them to take a whole month away from work.
National Pride
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