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.
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