All About Women's Gymnastics Coach Martha Kérolyi and Husband Béla

When the Rio Olympics cauldron is extinguished on Aug. 21, it will officially mark the end of one Romanian couple’s 40-year dominance over the sport of gymnastics, making America’s so-called Final Five their last gold medal champions.

Martha and Béla Kérolyi have coached top American gymnasts since defecting to the country in 1981. From the confines of their ranch in Huntsville, Texas, the husband and wife team eventually overhauled the U.S. approach to the sport, successfully taking over command of the national team nearly 16 years ago.

As the national team coordinator, Martha has led the U.S. women’s gymnastics team to four Olympic medals. The fourth, earned Tuesday by Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian, will be her last. Martha is following her husband into retirement.

The emotional end – Martha cried when she heard the 2016 team’s chosen name was picked in her honor, according to The New York Times – follows a remarkable career that involved forming a number of the world’s best female athletes.

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Before leaving Romania, Martha and Béla coached as a team, memorably leading Nadia Comaneci to her storied perfect 10 score in the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Under pressure from the Romanian government to promote “the power of the communist system” at their gym, as Béla told Time in 2012, the couple fled and were given asylum in the U.S.

Less than a year after finding a new home, Béla and Marta launched a clinic in Houston, where a young Mary Lou Retton became their student. In 1984, she won America’s first gold medal in the Olympic all-arounds.

They trained another world champion in 1991 with Kim Zmeskal, before literally carrying an injured Kerri Strug – a member of the iconic Magnificent Seven – to the podium to accept Olympic team gold in 1996.

It took another four years for the Kérolyis to convince U.S. gymnastics that their intense, European training regimen – housed at their 2,000-acre ranch – was the change the program needed.

Béla, also now 73, was named national team coordinator in 2000, but when the U.S. faltered in the Sydney Games that year, taking bronze in the team competition and placing outside of the top three in the individual all-around, he was replaced – by his wife.

Now, the U.S. team members meet once a month at the ranch – officially a U.S. Olympic Committee training site – adhering to strict conditioning. Their training regimen has been criticized by some – namely, Moceanu – as harsh and abusive, USA Today says. Yet others insist the pressure and push is what makes them successful.

“She’s got an uncanny intuition, and I think she’s got a very brilliant mind to figure that out,” Kelli Hill, who coached Dominique Dawes, told USA Today, of Martha.

Since taking over, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team has won 88 Olympic and world medals, USA Today reports. And this year’s group, Martha told the Times, is her best yet.

“We permanently have the next generation ready and that’s the key, I think, of the U.S. success,” Martha explained to USA Today. “We have a system. We’re not just randomly maybe catching a talented girl. We search. We advocate. We train from a young age.”

Though sad to leave, the Kérolyis know that enough is enough. The couple will still live on their ranch, but promise to let others be in charge.

Of the end of the Romanian era, Béla told USA Today, “to be honest, after ten Olympics Games behind us and another one in front of us, it was a beautiful journey. We enjoyed it very much. But I believe that’s the end.”