Romania finished 22nd as a team at Worlds 2019. It would seem they are just another team, no longer a superpower.
But the next generation of Juniors is looking good. And here’s some other promising news.
Bea:
I think that Romania will qualify a team to Paris and even win at least an individual medal there.
The project called Tara, Tara, Vrem Campioane [“Country, country, we want champions”] was initiated in 2014 and is being coordinated by Bellu and Bitang.
This is Romania’s response to a half-centralized system (camp based) that has worked for other countries.
The idea is to de-centralize in order to encourage healthy competition among [the various] centers and also stimulate the development of gymnasts and coaches. …
In order for this to work long-term, we need some key elements that are still missing: realistic judging in internal/national competitions, more and better prepared coaches, finding a way to transition junior elites into successful seniors, a way to motivate gymnasts without physical and mental abuse.
Read the full Dvora Meyers interview:
The Fall (and Rise?) of Romanian Gymnastics
One big question remains – Can the next generation of Romanians be competitive on Bars?
They are now wearing grips. But — oddly — still rely on Free Hip when the rest of the world uses primarily Sole Circle. Watch Ana Maria Barbosu competing Bars.
