Who is Béla Károlyi's daughter? All about Andrea who served as the dietician at the infamous Károlyi Ranch

One of the United States' most renowned gymnastics coaches, Béla Károlyi's daughter is Andrea Karolyi, who also played an important role on the Karolyi Ranch. She was appointed as the nutritionist of the women's national team.

The family, one of the biggest names in gymnastics, had been largely absent from the public's eyes since the Larry Nassar scandal broke out. Nassar abused gymnasts during national team training camps, including at the Ranch.

The couple was accused of knowing about Nassar's abuse, and they were also accused of using extreme training methods. In 2017, US Gymnastics backed out of a deal to buy the training facility located just north of Houston.

Nadia Comăneci, among the most famous trainees of the Karolyis along with Mary Lou Retton, accused bela Karolyi of serious physical and emotional abuse and claimed in her book that she was slapped twice and starved for three days.

The Károlyi's are currently being talked about again, as Béla Károlyi, who led Nadia Comăneci and Mary Kou Retton to Olympic gold, died at the age of 82 on November 15, 2024.

Béla Károlyi's daughter's family and hometown

Andrea Karolyi was born to Béla Károlyi and Márta Karolyi in Hungary, Romania. Both her parents were renowned gymnastics coaches who trained gymnasts in Romania, including Nadia Comăneci. Her father was the main authority figure while the couple trained gymnasts in Romania, and her mother was usually in the background helping with the gymnasts' routines and coaching them.

They defected to the United States of America in 1981, continuing their coaching in Oklahoma. They later opened a gym in Houston, Texas, and it started making waves and attracting gymnasts as Karolyi was seen as "Nadia's coach."

What role did Andrea play in her family's gym?

Andrea Karolyi served as a nutritionist in her family's training camps.

Who is Béla Károlyi's daughter married to?

Andrea Karolyi is married to Paul Wise, and they together run the food service at the training camp in the Sam Houston National Forest north of Houston. The couple started dating in 1992 and tied the knot in 1998. He has been present as the Karolyi family played a key role in transforming women's gymnastics, as he has been in the family since 1992, as an employee and the Karolyi couple's son-in-law.

He spoke about his mother-in-law's hard work in 2004. Wise said (via Chron.com),

"It's the funniest thing. Every year at the camps, the girls would see Andrea and say, `Oh, look. There's Bela's daughter.' Now they say, `Oh, look. There's Martha's daughter.'"

Andrea Karolyi lauded her mother's hard work

Béla Károlyi's wife, Martha Karolyi, took over her husband's role in 2001. After the US team's disappointing fourth-place finish in the 2020 Sydney Olympics, he retired from coaching. In her time as the national team coordinator, the US women never lost a major international competition.

Reflecting on her mother's work, Andrea said, (via Chron.com)

"Finally she is able to get that recognition, and that has been exciting for her and for us as a family. All the kids see her and say, `Wow, it's Martha.' It's her turn to show that she's as knowledgeable as my dad when it comes to coaching."

What is the reason behind Béla Károlyi's death?

The reason behind Béla Károlyi's death has not been made public yet. However, it was known that the former coach was suffering from poor health in recent years.