Romania Won Gold Women's Gymnastics Championships

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Artistic Championships European Gimnastica Girls Gymnastics Romanian Women Women's
TranSSilvanius
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  • Added: 06-Apr-08

Steliana Nistor and Sandra Izbasa kept their wits about them to lead Romania to the team title at the women's European gymnastics championships on Saturday.


Romania had looked to be on a downward turn when they were upstaged by Italy at the 2006 Europeans and failed to get on the podium at the world championships just a few months later.


On Saturday, however, Romania's gymnasts showed that they should not be written off from successfully defending their Olympic team crown in Beijing in August when they eclipsed their nearest rivals by more than two points.


Romania finished with 181.525, while Russia had to make do with silver after scrappy performances on the floor left them with a combined total of 179.475.


France gave the home fans plenty to cheer about by taking the bronze,their first European women's team medal.


A thumping performance on the floor by Vanessa Ferrari on the floor could do little to prevent Italy from relinquishing their hold on the continental title. They finished fourth. Ukraine, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands completed the top eight.


Before the championships, Romanian coach Nicolae Forminte had ominously declared: "Romanian gymnastics is in crisis."


With the European title back in his country's possession for the first time since 2004, Forminte told Reuters: "I have no doubts that Romania will get the Olympic gold again."


Romania trailed in Russia and France after their first rotation on the asymmetric bars, which has traditionally been their weakest apparatus.


But by the time Izbasa, Nistor and Adriana Tamirjan had showed off their complex balancing skills on the beam and nailed their double twisting dismounts, they were firmly on the path to glory.


The Romanians completed a clean sweep of the top three marks on the beam, with Tamirjan leading the way. She earned 15.575 for her quick-footed flips and summersaults.


Izbasa had been the top qualifier on the floor and she did not disappoint in the final. Her score of 15.750 was even better than she had earned in qualifying as she effortlessly pulled off a series of high tumbling combinations.


Such was her level of concentration that she did not even flinch when the audience gasped after an Italian competitor had spectacularly fallen off the bars while Izbasa was in mid-flow in her floor exercise.


The Russians effectively surrendered their title hopes when Ksenia Semenova was penalised for stepping out of the area during her floor performance and her namesake Ksenia Afanaseva banged her head and ended up in a foetal position on the mat after she mistimed her final tumble.


Their combined score of 43.850 on the floor put them two points behind the Romanians after three rotations and they could not close the gap on the final apparatus.

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Comments on

Romania Won Gold Women's Gymnastics Championships

19 Comments | Add Comment
  • felicitari sandra!! ...

    felicitari sandra!!!!esti cea mai tare

    By andreea94nicoleta200 [Affiliate User] 1219144622 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • - Play-Cam _dot_ ...

    - Play-Cam _dot_ COM - LOL It's my birthday plzzzz leave a comment on my pic'z xx!MwahzZX

    By sgpolitics [Affiliate User] 1218462680 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • ai dreptate dar pt ...

    ai dreptate dar pt ca se presupune ca esti un om civilizat nu ar fi trebuit sa spui unu ca asta, sa nu mai apelez si la alte cuvinte urate la adresa dumnitale, nesimtitule

    By jktlm [Affiliate User] 1218243672 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • it's a polish song ...

    it's a polish song "Taniec Eleny" :)

    By banditul1705 [Affiliate User] 1218157818 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Good Luck Romanian! ...

    Good Luck Romanian!
    Go for Gold!

    By reyalmazon [Affiliate User] 1218157562 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • what is the title ...

    what is the title of the song in the background, when she is having her performance?

    By mlodapolska90 [Affiliate User] 1217428297 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • De acord cu " ...

    De acord cu "haleusca", asa m-am plictisit de patriotismul asta, care glorie cand am vazut cu totii ce s-a intamplat cu Milosovici, Diana Mocanu (inot, ok) etc. etc. Vorba Nadiei, ne-am obisnuit cu aurul ca era pe degeaba, cand ar trebui sa fim f. bucurosi pt. un bronz la Olimpiada. "Mandria tarii" ar trebui sa fie in fiecare dintre noi si cu mai putina vorbaraie, nu sa tot asteptam minuni de la fetele astea. Oricum mi se pare evident ca lupta pt. ele si pt. viitorul lor, nu pt. altceva.

    By ChildofPluto [Affiliate User] 1217192229 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • BRAVO!!!

    BRAVO!!!

    By sk8x69 [Affiliate User] 1213424490 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • bravo fetelor ...

    bravo fetelor noastre si succes la olimpiada

    By bordi1978 [Affiliate User] 1210928131 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • mai bloodfartz sunt ...

    mai bloodfartz sunt curios sa aflu nivelul tau de inteligenta ,probabil ca este f. f. scazut!!!in rest bravo fetelor !!!

    By bordi1978 [Affiliate User] 1210927893 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Ceea ce spuneam eu ...

    Ceea ce spuneam eu (si ceea ce eviti, pare-se, sa observi) e ca, intre a lauda cu gaunosenie antrenorii si gimnastele si a-i trata de-adevaratelea ca pe niste "glorii" -inclusiv financiar!- e o mare distanta. Câti antrenori români au plecat in strainatate din '89 incoace? Cred ca cel putin jumatate ar fi ramas in tara, sa fi avut motive. De, "mercantilismul"!

    By haleusca [Affiliate User] 1208651482 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Daca echipele nu ar ...

    Daca echipele nu ar reprezenta tarile, competitiile astea nu ar avea loc. Nu sunt rentabile si nici spectacol in sine, fara specificul fiecarei natiuni, nu prea sunt. Cat mercantilism. Auzi: ce salariu are Forminte. Tu de glorie ai auzit? Nu? "That's why nobody will remember your name". 8)

    By TranSSilvanius [Affiliate User] 1207979008 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Nu reprezinta nici ...

    Nu reprezinta nici o tara, oameni buni, iesiti din istoria de secol XIX! Se reprezinta pe ele insele. Tara nu numai ca nu face mare lucru pentru gimnastica, dar aproape ca ii pune, prosteste, bete in roate - o echipa ca asta (sau cele de dinainte) ar fi fost masiv finantata in Statele Unite. Apropo, ai idee ce salariu are Forminte? Ca sa nu mai spun ca aurul european a capatat câteva minute la stiri, dupa care lumea a virat in Steaua-Rapid. Tipic!!! Altmineri, mândria tarii, sigur!

    By haleusca [Affiliate User] 1207976450 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • wow thats good ...

    wow thats good transsilvanius! keep the good work! dont listen to those peepol who donnt care about this video!

    By Poster27 [Affiliate User] 1207833860 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • bloodfartz you are ...

    bloodfartz you are a moron.

    By Erycantoaneta [Affiliate User] 1207792970 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • buna de tot izbasa! ...

    buna de tot izbasa! ce i-as da niste pula

    By bloodfartz [Affiliate User] 1207697979 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • E si mandria tarii, ...

    E si mandria tarii, fetele reprezinta tara! Si ce-i aia: "Romanica"?! Asa se vorbeste despre tara ta? Dispretuitor?! Nu pot suferi limbajul asta!

    By AlexMatei333 [Affiliate User] 1207575807 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Nu e nici o mandrie ...

    Nu e nici o mandrie a tarii, e mandria lor si a antrenorilor, in special a lui Forminte. S-au dus vremurile cand frustrarile Romanicai erau carpite cand si cand de gimnastica. Toata lumea urla ca, dupa 2004, gimnastica e in criza: un argint la europene cu echipa, un bronz la mondiale si argintul Stelei la individual compus, de anul trecut, nu-mi par a semnala vreo criza. Dar, vorba lui Forminte, romanul crede ca daca nu castigi aurul nu se pune.

    By haleusca [Affiliate User] 1207541474 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Felicitari fetelor! ...

    Felicitari fetelor!! mandria tarii este inca gimnastica :D

    By aknaibaby [Affiliate User] 1207505015 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
19 Comments | Add Comment