Romanians sweep all-around amid vault controversy

Published: 21 September 2000 y., Thursday
With bright eyes and a captivating smile reminiscent of another Romanian darling, tiny Andreea Raducan captured the Olympic women's gymnastics all-around gold medal Thursday -- and the fans' hearts, too.
Only 1.48 meters (4-foot-10) tall and nine days shy of her 17th birthday, Raducan easily won with 38.893 points, the first Romanian to take the all-around gold since Nadia Comaneci in 1976. As if that wasn't triumph enough for the Romanian team, which also won the team gold, Simona Amanar and Maria Olaru took the silver and the bronze medals. It's the first time a country has swept the all-around since the former Soviet Union did it in 1960. When Raducan finished her floor exercise, her last routine, the Romanian team began a raucous celebration. Amanar and Olaru exchanged hugs with their coaches, while team coach Octavian Belu grabbed Raducan and put her on his shoulders. She stood tall, waving to the crowd and blowing kisses, a wide smile on her face, as the crowd cheered.
Šaltinis: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

World Cup fever on wheels in Japan

Bicycling fans in Japan can now enjoy a bit of soccer fever as Japanese teams gear up for the World Cup. more »

UEFA wants to sanction reckless spending by European football clubs

European football clubs will have to break-even over a three-year period if they want to play in the Champions League or Europa League tournaments , according to UEFA's new Financial Fair Play Regulations, presented to Parliament's Culture Committee 1 June. more »

World Cup fakes flood South Africa

FIFA's official World Cup merchandise suppliers complain counterfeit tournament goods are costing suppliers millions of dollars in lost sales. more »

Germans race to tame the tower

Frankfurt’s fourth Skyscraper Run leaves sporting enthusiasts sky-high. more »

S. American teams head to World Cup

Argentina and Uruguay get ready for tough World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa. more »

Brazil fans gear up for World Cup

Ahead of the upcoming World Cup, soccer-mad Brazilians are painting the town yellow, green and blue. more »

Beckham to the front

Britain's soccer star David Beckham visits troops in Afghanistan. Deborah Lutterbeck reports. more »

Italy prepares for World Cup

The Italians, the defending 2006 World Cup champions, will be honing their skills at a high altitude training camp until their departure for South Africa on June 8. more »

Milito start for Argentina uncertain

Maradona says Champions League hero Diego Milito will have a shot at starting for Argentina as the squad prepares for a last World Cup tune-up. more »

London 2012 Olympic mascots unveiled

Meet Wenlock and Mandeville - the new faces of London’s Olympic Games in 2012. more »