Romanian artistic gymnast
Monica Ro?u
(born 11 May 1987) is a former
artistic gymnast
from
Romania
.
[1]
During her career, she won two Olympic gold medals (team and vault), a silver medal with the Romanian team at world championships, and two gold medals at the European Championships (team and vault).
Early life and career
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Ro?u was born in
Bac?u
. She started gymnastics in 1991 at age four and trained during her early years at CSS Bac?u. She was selected to train for the junior national team and left her family for
One?ti
, then the site of the junior training center.
[
when?
]
Ro?u competed at the Top Gym Tournament in early 2000.
[2]
When two juniors from Deva pulled out unexpectedly just days before the meet began, Ro?u was selected as a last-minute replacement. Competing with an ankle injury, she finished 12th all-around.
[2]
Ro?u competed internationally in the Netherlands and
Slovakia
in 2001. Always a powerful tumbler, she made great strides in vaulting and floor exercise and soon moved with her teammates to the national training center in
Deva
. Still a junior in 2002, she competed at the Romanian International, placing fourth. She went on to be a part of the junior squad at the European Championships, where she earned bronze medals on vault and floor exercise.
[3]
At her second and last participation at the Top Gym Tournament, she won the trophy ahead of teammate
Alexandra Eremia
.
[2]
Senior career
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Ro?u competed at her first
world championships
in the United States in 2003, winning silver with her team and placing fourth on the vault.
[4]
She then won gold on vault and with the team at the European Championships the following spring.
[5]
Ro?u's finest hour came during the
2004 Olympics
in
Athens
. With
C?t?lina Ponor
,
Daniela Sofronie
,
Oana Ban
,
Alexandra Eremia
and
Silvia Stroescu
, she helped Romania defend its Olympic team title. In a dominant performance, they won by nearly a full point and finished first on three of the four apparatus. The strongest vaulter on the team, Ro?u contributed scores in the finals of 9.625 on vault and 9.387 on bars. She also won gold on the vault, competing the two most difficult vaults of the
Olympic Games
. She scored 9.575 (start value: 9.9) and 9.737 (start value: 10.0). She was nearly two tenths ahead of her nearest rival,
Annia Hatch
of the United States.
Retirement
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After injuring herself in 2005 and showing sub-par performances, Ro?u failed to make the
2005 World Championship
team and has since retired. In 2005, she participated in the televised competition
Kunoichi
and the TV show Monster Box in Japan.
[6]
In 2009, she was the host of a TV show ("Forma Maxima") aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle, broadcast by the Romanian TVR1 channel. Among her guests were
Ion ?iriac
,
Ilie N?stase
and
Gheorghe Hagi
.
[7]
As of 2010, Ro?u was studying for her master's in sport management in Bucharest, Romania.
Achievements
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- 2000 Top Gym Tournament: 6th Team, 12th A-A, 6th BB 12th FX, 6 V
- 2001 Tournament of Arques: 3rd A-A
- 2001 Slovakian International: 4th A-A, 6th BB, 7th UB, 7th FX
- 2001 Hypotheek Tournament: 2nd A-A
She won a silver medal on vault at the 2004 World Cup Final.
References
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External links
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