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United States Bart Conner is an American Olympic gymnast, gold medalist, and long-time gymnastics commentator who co-owns a gymnastics academy and motivates audiences with insights on discipline and competitive excellence.
Nadia and Bart are business partners with their manager, Paul Ziert in International Gymnast Magazine. Purchased by Conner's business partner, Paul Ziert, in 1996. Conner serves as Associate Publisher.
Nadia and Bart are business partners with their manager, Paul Ziert in Perfect 10.
Bart and Nadia Sports Experience partners with OKC Riversport.
Bart and Nadia Sports Experience partners with UCO.
Bart and Nadia Sports Experience partners with The University of Oklahoma.
Bart and Nadia Sports Experience partners with Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bart and Nadia Sports Experience partners with Special Olympics Oklahoma. Bart and Nadia are longtime supporters of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Special Olympics.
Joint virtual team-building experience with Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner, focusing on flexibility, learning mindset, and thriving through change.
Bart and Nadia are longtime supporters of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Barthold Wayne Conner was born on March 28, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois. He discovered his gymnastics talent early, practicing handstands on monkey bars at Austin Park and joining his local YMCA program. His passion for gymnastics led him to Niles West High School, where he graduated in 1976. Conner attended the University of Oklahoma to train with coach Paul Ziert, where he was recognized as an All-American and received the Nissen Award in 1981, honoring him as America’s top gymnast.
Conner’s competitive career began in 1972, winning the U.S. Junior National Championships at age 14. By 17, he secured the U.S. Gymnastics Federation All-Around championship and was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He earned a team all-around gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. Although the 1980 Olympic boycott prevented his participation, Conner made a strong return at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, where he earned two gold medals—one for the team all-around and another on the parallel bars, performing his signature “Conner spin.” This historic achievement marked the first men’s Olympic gymnastics gold for the U.S. in 80 years. His Olympic success was particularly notable given he recovered from a torn bicep injury just months before the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Beyond his athletic accomplishments, Conner has maintained a significant presence in the gymnastics world as a commentator for over three decades. Since 2015, he has been part of the SEC Network’s gymnastics coverage, also broadcasting for ESPN, ABC, and ACC Network. He has been inducted into multiple halls of fame, including the USOC Olympic Hall of Fame (1991), the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame (1996), and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (1997). In his personal life, he reconnected with Romanian Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci after her defection in 1989. Following a long-distance friendship, they married in 1996 in a televised ceremony in Bucharest, and together they co-own the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma. They also share a son, Dylan Paul Conner, born in 2006. Conner and Comăneci are actively involved with the Special Olympics.
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