Romanian Junior Nationals

This weekend the Junior Nationals for categories II and III took place in Bacau. No videos have emerged yet, but I have read that it was a pretty good one, with many nice surprises.

In the Junior II the competition was dominated by Ana Maria Ocolisan, who won the All around title and the Vault and Uneven Bars finals and Andreea Rotaru who won floor and medals on vault and uneven bars.

At level 3, the all around title was won by Laura Jurca. This is her floor routine from June:

I like this kid! She is only 11 and yes the choreo is not very complex, but I like how she uses her arms and the fact that she looks like a future power tumbler.

At level four, Irina Paun was the star: she won the All around and silver medals on all four apparatuses. What a great all arounder to have in the team after 2012! This is her beam set from last month at Resita:

Many wobbles, but pretty good for an 11 year old, huh! And that sheep jump!

You can find many pics from the meet on this website.

There are many, many routines of the Romanian juniors on andra000lumi's youtube channel (but not yet from this competition)

Complete results:

Juniors II

Vault

1. Ana Maria Ocolişan (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,350

2. Andreea Rotaru (CSSG Focşani) – 13,100

3. Maria Răuţă (CSSG Focşani) – 13,050

Uneven Bars

1. Ana Maria Ocolişan (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,300

2. Maria Răuţă (CSSG Focşani) – 12,350

3. Alexandra Marcu (CNS Cetate Deva) – 12,250

Balance Beam

1. Alexandra Marcu (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,650

2. Maria Răuţă (CSSG Focşani) – 12,900

3. Andreea Rotaru (CSSG Focşani) – 12,850

Floor

1. Andreea Rotaru (CSSG Focşani) – 14,200

2. Ana Maria Ocolişan (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,700

3. Alexandra Marcu (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,600

Juniors Category III, Level III

Vault

1. Mădălina Blendea (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,625

2. Larisa Culbece (CSS 1 Timişoara) – 13,300

3. Andreea Puiu (CSM Oneşti) – 13,200

Uneven Bars

1. Anda Butuc (CSS 2 Bucureşti) – 13,850

2. Mădălina Blendea (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,800

3. Laura Jurcă (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,400

Beam

1. Andreea Iridon (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,450

2. Larisa Culbece (CSS 1 Timişoara) – 13,350

3. Laura Jurcă (CNS Cetate Deva) – 13,250

Floor

1. Andreea Iridon (CNS Cetate Deva) – 14,150

2. Mădălina Blendea (CNS Cetate Deva) – 14,000

3. Aida Orheanu (CSSG Focşani) – 13,900

JUN, Category III, Level IV

Vault

1. Silvia Zarzu (CSM Oneşti) – 13,450

2. Irina Păun (CSA Steaua Bucureşti) – 13,200

3. Diana Teodoru (SCM Bacău) – 13,100

Uneven Bars

1. Andreea Munteanu (CNS Cetate Deva) – 12,950

2. Irina Păun (CSA Steaua Bucureşti) – 12,700

3. Ioana Badea (CSS 1 Timişoara) – 12,600

ina Paun (photo Ionut Branzei)

Beam

1. Ioana Badea (CSS 1 Timişoara) – 13,700

2. Irina Păun (CSA Steaua Bucureşti) – 13,500

3. Denisa Năstase (CSSG Focşani) – 13,050

Floor

1. Denisa Năstase (CSSG Focşani) – 14,000

2. Irina Păun (CSA Steaua Bucureşti) – 13,850

3. Silvia Zarzu (CSM Oneşti) – 13,750

Vacation? I don't think so...

Some are on vacation, others do the fall-winter competitions with the big cash prizes, Romania is back in the gym. Anca Grigoras announced that the Romanian gymnasts have finished the competition season and that the next months, they will be concentrating on learning new skills, the ultimate goal being an increased difficulty score.

I hope they all manage to get through this period in good health. At the airport, Bellu was so eager to get back in the gym that he said he wouldn't have given the gymnasts the few days of... if it were up to him they would have gone from the airport straight to a training at Izvorani .

If you are still not convinced of how difficult the next period it will be (I know you are, just saying..) here is the ultimate proof :) : Mariana is not happy and she is not used to having a team that does not/cannot challenge for the podium.

This is an interview she gave after the team finals:

The girls managed to have a contest without falls...

According to the new COP this seems to be unimportant, it's important now to have a high difficulty, that allows you to fall and still the final score will not be affected too much.

Are you satisfied with the result?

The girls worked as much as they could, they tried to do their best and this is all it could be accomplished after about a month of thorough preparation, especially that the girls just came from injuries. I am not satisfied with the fact that on floor they could not maintain the total they got in qualifications.

Romania was closer to the podium that in qualifications..

The problem is not that the difference is big, the important is what we are going to do from now on. Our only chance is this: either we come to our senses and start working like we used to or we quit.

Isn't it difficult for you to watch the Worlds from home?

No, because there is a lot of work to do here as well. Moreover, I am used to fighting for something when I go to a contest. in the situation when Romania had five consecutive titles (with the team) and now we are out of the medals, it's tough.

Sources: "Mariana: ori muncim ori ne lasam" - Prosport

"Fetele pregatesc competitiile din sezonul 2011" - Prosport

Swiss cup - Izbasa and Koczi on fourth

The contest was won by Elisabeth Seitz and Fabian Hambuchen (who competed on the uneven bars and high bar respectively in the final) followed by Vanessa Ferrari and Matteo Morandi (floor and rings) on the second and Ariella Kaeslin and Claudio Capelli on third (beam and parallel bars).

these are Sandra's and Flavius' floor performances from the semifinals:

and this is Sandra's from the finals:

Watch Seiz's uneven bars routine:

or here

complete results can be found here.

Talk about floor disaster...

A good friend of mine asked me this: why on earth did they change Semenova's music?

I did not know what to say, obviously... I thought her "old" music suited her much better.

What do you think?

this:

Or the old one:

Sandra must go on...

so says Bellu: "I think she has everything she needs to continue. It was just a competition, she had just returned after a very serious injury. To achieve the performances that made her famous there is still much work to do. She has the potential, the energy, and the name in order not to give up"

"Sandra has helped me a lot in this competition. Her encouragements have been beneficial, especially that she is more experienced. I am very sorry for what happened on floor, but I hope with all my heart that she will continue and show what she is capable of." Ana Porgras

So far, Izbasa looks pretty good, she placed second at the Arthur Gender Memorial, winning Citta di Chiasso Award for her floor routine.

watch Sandra's latest floor routine:

or here.

the taste of gold - more Ana Porgras in the news

did you crunch your medal?

Ana :"hahaha nooo not literally but I tasted it... it has a... sweet taste, very nice. I already think about next year, to hope to get something in the all around."

Whad did Mr. Bellu tell you?

Congratulations and you could have done better (laughs).

Diana: I did not prepare only for vault, you know. I worked a lot... But until the next Worlds we will have the European championships as well.

Whad did Mr. Bellu tell you?

That if not for that step on the landing, the colour of the medal would have been different.

Octavian Bellu: I think that the girls tried hard, the men also, they wanted to have a better competition but this is what they could do, and in the end the Romanian delegation did fulfil the objectives

or watch it here.

gymnasts at the airport

The gymnasts' arival in Romania was all over the press, as we would have expected the gold medal did draw a lot of attention. Besides the tons of airport photos, there were also many articles about Ana Porgras' private life (but I will talk about those a bit later).

So, they had to show their medals, which they had kept in their pockets because they expected people would want to see them:

There were a lot flowers

and kissing

and officials (in the bellow picture Doina Melinte - now head of the National Authority for Sports)

Diana was promised a studio apartment

and also, many people wanted interviews

-Ana, did you forget about all the injuries, now that you have the gold medal ?

- I can't say I forgot. But I did get over that period more easily. Even if it's gold, this medal doesn't change the way I work.

- Were you nervous before the routine in the beam finals?

- Yes, I did get nervous but I knew I could do the routine very well. I knew I had a pretty good beam set.

- What did you think about on the podium?

- I thought about a lot, I thought about the work in the gym, but it worth it.

- You brought the gold for Romania after nine years. What were you doing at seven years old, had you already started gymnastics?

- Yes, I was in the gym already but I did not think I am going to get a gold medal.

- Did you accomplish your biggest dream in gymnastics?

- No, of course not. The ultimate goal remains a gold medal at the Olympics.

- Was it difficult during the periods when you were injured?

- Very difficult. I did not think I was going to be ready on time for the worlds. But after I took my cast off and I started working, I thought that maybe I had a chance.

- After what happened at the Europeans, were you afraid of the dismount?

- Why? Was it noticeable? I like to work on the beam since I was a little girl and I was never afraid, although most of my injuries happened what I was working at this apparatus.

- And you managed to have an entire competition without a fall.

- It is my biggest accomplishment in Rotterdam, that I did not miss at all and I had only clean routines.

- So next there is a lot of work to do.

- We did not get a team medal, if we want to be on the podium, we must work harder.

- Are you a superstitious gymnast? Do you have a favorite leotard?

- No. I wore that leotard in the finals because that was their order.

Some of Diana's reactions:

"It's nice what is happening right now but there will be a lot of work. The next period will be very difficult but I hope that next year we will have even better results"

"I was well prepared for floor and vault so getting a medal on floor was not a surprise for me. There is a lot of room for improvement and with a lot of work we can do better. We hope that next year we will get e team medal"

"(Mr. Bellu)told me only that if it weren't for that step on the landing, I would have had a different medal. So there clearly is room for improvement"

The next period is going to be really tough, the sort of training regimen these gymnsts never went through before. That's what Bellu and Bitang are famous for and that's how that team medal can be earned. But I can certainly say, after reading these interviews, that the gymnasts are mentally prepared for the next winter months.

The pictures and the interviews are taken from Prosport, Gazeta Sporturilor, Adevarul.

Bellu - on the success Romania had at the Worlds

yes, it was a successful one. The first gold at the Worlds since 2001.

This is the translation of an interview from ProSport.

Do the results from the Rotterdam sketch a possible team for London?

I prefer to be reserved in assessments, as before, actually I was not very optimistic before (the Worlds) either. We had these results, it is better to consider them as a hope for the future.

What's next?

It all depends on how we will manage the success that we have achieved in a situation where these girls recovered very slowly after the injuries that kept them away from the training hall for months. We will have to see how much the gymnasts want to work, to get involved, so that we won't wait for another ten years to get a gold medal.

How do you see Ana now?

This medal is very important for her. She did a very good impression at the Worlds, she was considered the most elegant gymnast, but she also realized that in the all around, without a vault, an uneven bars and a floor routine of great difficulty, it's hard to get a medal. It's very difficult to wait for medal on beam, because you never know what can happen (during EF).

Are there any chances for Romania to be on the podium at London 2012?

Do not think about such a long period, we will see what will happen in the near future, because there are some issues to be addressed. The first step to get to London will be the World Championships in Tokyo, next year.

Wasn't it difficult to watch the competition from the stands?

I did not necessarily remain in the stands because after the introductions, the girls were returning to the training hall. Someone had to be there with them and send them in the competition hall when it was time, so I did walk a lot between the training hall and the stands.

Diana Chelaru's silver medal

She may have been the ugly ducking of the team but that is an ooold story.

(www.adevarul.ro)

(www.radio-resita.ro)

Ana Porgras on her biggest achievement at worlds and the change of mentality

But don't listen to the blonde lady, the actual translation is more like this: "I don't even have the words to say it, no... very beautiful, but at the same time when you her the national anthem you think about all the work you had to do"

Is it worth it?

"Yes! When you torment yourself and you work in the gym ... we always have these thoughts, that it's very difficult and that you have reached your limit. Then we have to think about moments like this and maybe it will be easier to get over it"

Some more interesting statements from Ana, here on agerpres.ro:

"My future will be almost the same in the gym, a lot more work, because in addition to this medal I may have lost more. You learn from all this experience; I will work harder to become the best. A medal at the World does not make you better, it's a medal, and if we want more we have to work hard, even more than before''said Ana.

I am very glad that I got over that (the injury) very quickly and managed to get here. Compared to 2009, probably the experience helped and the mental shift. Now I don't think like I used to and maybe this is a big difference. There's a big difference between saying I am going to attend the World Championships and saying I'm going to win at the Worlds. I was nervous after my routine, there were two Russian girls after me, and Mustafina, the all around champion had a good start value, but missed.

The most important achievement in this competition for Ana remains the fact that she never missed:''From my point of view, these World Championships were good. Since I came here I wanted to do all my routines here without failure. I managed to achieve this and this is my biggest joy''.