Bela Karolyi, the charismatic if polarizing gymnastics coach who turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power, has died. He was 82.

USA Gymnastics said Karolyi died Friday. No cause of death was given.

Karolyi and wife Martha trained multiple Olympic gold medalists and world champions in the U.S. and Romania, including Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton.

“A big impact and influence on my life,” Comaneci, who was just 14 when Karolyi coached her to gold for Romania at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, posted on Instagram.

The Karolyis defected to the United States in 1981 and over the next 30-plus years became a guiding force in American gymnastics, though not without controversy. Bela helped guide Retton — all of 16 — to the Olympic all-around title at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and memorably helped an injured Kerri Strug off the floor at the 1996 Games in Atlanta after Strug’s vault secured the team gold for the Americans.

Karolyi briefly became the national team coordinator for USA Gymnastics women’s elite program in 1999 and incorporated a semi-centralized system that eventually turned the Americans into the sport’s gold standard. It did not come without a cost. He was pushed out after the 2000 Olympics after several athletes spoke out about his tactics.

It would not be the last time Karolyi was accused of grandstanding and pushing his athletes too far physically and mentally.

During the height of the Larry Nassar scandal in the late 2010s — when the disgraced former USA Gymnastics team doctor was effectively given a life sentence after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting gymnasts and other athletes with his hands under the guise of medical treatment — more than a dozen former gymnasts came forward saying the Karolyis were part of a system that created an oppressive culture that allowed Nassar’s behavior to run unchecked for years.

Still, some of Karolyi’s most famous students were always among his staunchest defenders. When Strug got married, she and Karolyi took a photo recreating their famous scene from the 1996 Olympics, when he carried her onto the medals podium after she vaulted on a badly sprained ankle.

TENNIS

Taylor Fritz is starting to make reaching big finals a habit. And he feels like he belongs among the very best players in tennis, too.

The American followed up his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) to advance to the final at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.

“I have believed that I belong, that I’m one of the best players,” Fritz said. “It’s not results-based. It’s more I can feel how I’m playing. This week is huge.”

In today’s final, Fritz will will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the player he lost to in the U.S. Open final. Sinner also beat Fritz in straight sets in the group stage this week. Sinner advanced with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Casper Ruud.

Iga Swiatek won in singles and doubles to lead Poland’s 2-1 comeback against the Czech Republic in the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga, Spain.

Poland will meet Italy in the semifinals after Jasmine Paolini likewise won her singles and doubles matches to lead Italy back for a 2-1 win over Japan.

SOCCER

Aubrey Kingsbury saved the first three penalties in a shootout and the Spirit defeated defending champion Gotham FC in Washington to advance to the National Women’s Soccer League championship.

The teams played to a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes after the Spirit forced extra time in the final moments of regulation.

Esther González scored first for Gotham before Hal Hershfelt equalized in second-half stoppage time.

While Ashley Hatch, Lena Silano and Tara McKeown scored their first three penalties for the Spirit, Kingsbury dived to her right to save three consecutive attempts from Gotham.

The Spirit will face the winner of today’s semifinal between the Orlando Pride and the Kansas City Current in the NWSL championship match next Saturday.

GOLF

Rory McIlroy (68) was tied for the lead with Rasmus Hojgaard (69) and Antoine Rozner (69) heading into the final round of the season-ending World Tour Championship as the Northern Irishman closed in on a sixth Race to Dubai title.

Rafael Campos celebrated the birth of his daughter on Monday and now is in position for another big moment. He set a personal best with a 9-under 62 to share the lead going into the final round of the PGA Tour’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Co-leader Andrew Novak also shot a 62 on a day when the wind became ferocious toward the end of the round at Port Royal, with gusts topping 40 mph.

Nelly Korda (67) holed two long birdie putts to start her recovery from a six-shot deficit to Charley Hull (68), cutting the lead down to one shot going into the final round of The Annika in Belleair, Fla.

SKIING

American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin earned her record-extending 98th career World Cup win in Levi, Finland, to give herself the chance to compete for victory No. 100 in front of a home crowd.

Regardless of her result in a slalom in Austria next week, Shiffrin could reach the milestone in two races in Killington, Vt., on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

The two-time Olympic champion, who is from Colorado, can almost consider Killington a hometown race because she honed her skills nearby at the Burke Mountain Academy as a teenager.

On Saturday, Shiffrin dominated the first women’s World Cup slalom of the season for her 98th win. No other skier, male of female, has won more than 86 races.

Shiffrin built on a big first-run lead with an aggressive yet controlled second run down the Levi Black course to beat 2021 slalom world champion Katharina Liensberger of Austria by 0.79 seconds.

FIGURE SKATING

Yuma Kagiyama skated what he thought might be his “worst program” of the season but still won the Finlandia Trophy figure skating Grand Prix in Helsinki, Finland, securing his place at next month’s Grand Prix Final.

The Olympic silver medalist from Japan had a big lead from Friday’s short program. He needed it. Kagiyama bailed out of his opening quadruple flip and had to put a foot down to steady himself on the landing of his second quad jump.

Kagiyama credited the crowd with helping him stabilize the skate, landing two more quads and finishing with a total score of 263.09 to win by less than four points from France’s Kevin Aymoz, who had been nearly 19 adrift following the short program.

Hana Yoshida shrugged off a fall on her opening triple axel to become the third Japanese skater to win a women’s Grand Prix this season. She won by the tightest of margins. Yoshida’s score of 199.46 was only ahead of fellow Japanese skater Rino Matsuike on 199.20 because Matsuike was given a one-point deduction for a time violation.