Comaneci, Conner expecting their first child

Olympic gold-medal gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner announced on Tuesday they're expecting a baby, a boy due in July. It's the first child for Comaneci, 44, and Conner, who turns 48 next month.

Photo: Comaneci, Conner expecting their first child

"It's a new chapter in our lives. I'm happy," Comaneci told The Associated Press. "It kind of makes my life and Bart's life and our family's lives complete."

The birth of their child will come 10 years after Comaneci and Conner were married, and 30 years after Comaneci scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic history. Her seven perfect 10s at the Montreal Games captivated the world.

She won nine medals at the Montreal and Moscow Games, five of them gold. Conner was a double gold medalist at the 1984 Olympics.

"What a coincidence," Comaneci said, laughing. "We got married in 1996, I got my 10 in 1976. The baby is due to arrive in July, the month I scored the 10. We didn't plan it that way, but what better timing.

"I was telling Bart that this looks like the perfect present for my 30th anniversary."

Comaneci defected from Romania in 1989 and soon became reacquainted with Conner, whom she'd first met in 1976. She moved to his home in Norman, Oklahoma in 1991 and they were married five years later.

The couple operate several gymnastics-related businesses there, including the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, Perfect 10 Productions and "International Gymnast" magazine. Comaneci and Conner first made the announcement on their magazine's Web site.

They also spend much of their time doing promotional work for corporate sponsors and working with charities. They're heavily involved with the Special Olympics, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation.

"We are so ecstatic. It's awesome," Conner said. "At this stage in our life, it's wonderful news", reports AP.

O.Ch.