I’ve been anticipating the decline of the Romanian Women’s Gymnastics team. But they continue to surprise me finishing 3rd at Worlds.
One important reason was the leadership of Cătălina Ponor, triple gold medallist from the 2004 Olympics. Now a veteran, she can still compete with the best.
Ponor’s a beautiful gymnast. Click PLAY or watch a tribute video on YouTube.
More on Ponor and the Romanian team from Gymblog:
Two bright spots on a Romanian team that was otherwise seemed to be lacking in form and spirit at the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart were 20-year-old veteran Catalina Ponor, back in shape after post-Olympic partying and a bout in retirement, and 15-year-old newcomer Cerasela Patrascu. Both displayed a lot of style — in Ponor’s case, there was even passion — for being from a country known for its uninspiring routines.
I admired both Ponor’s floor, somewhat old-school for having only three tumbling passes, as well as Patrascu’s beam, which featured the usual Romanian difficulty but with attractive lines and arm movements — none of this slashing at the air with one’s arms and calling it choreography. Both, particularly Ponor, showed a lot of style, something that seems to be in short supply on the Romanian team.
With Ponor and Patrascu, the Romanians are moving forward « Gymblog
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