Andreea Răducan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andreea Răducan
Răducan in 2006
Personal information
Full name	Andreea Mădălina Răducan
Country represented	Romania
Born	(1983-09-30) 30 September 1983 (age 41) Bârlad, Romania
Height	149 cm (4 ft 11 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	1998–2002 (ROM)
Club	Club Sportiv Cetate Deva, Farul Constanța
Gym	Deva National Training Center
Head coach(es)	Octavian Bellu
Assistant coach(es)	Mariana Bitang, Lucian Sandu
Music	1998–2001: Las Carretas del Rocio 2000: Reel Around the Sun 2001: Éclipse 2002: Meet Her at the Love Parade and Right in the Night
Retired	6 January 2003
Medal record Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney Team Silver 2000 Sydney Vault Disqualified 2000 Sydney All-Around World Championships Gold 1999 Tianjin Team Gold 1999 Tianjin Floor Gold 2001 Ghent Team Gold 2001 Ghent Balance Beam Gold 2001 Ghent Floor Silver 1999 Tianjin Balance Beam Bronze 2001 Ghent All-Around Bronze 2001 Ghent Vault World Cup Final Gold 2000 Glasgow Balance Beam Gold 2000 Glasgow Floor European Championships Silver Paris 2000 Floor Bronze Paris 2000 Team

Andreea Mădălina Răducan is a famous Romanian gymnast who retired from the sport. She was born on September 30, 1983. After her gymnastics career, she became a sports announcer and journalist.

Andreea started gymnastics when she was very young. By age 12, she was training with the Romanian junior national team. She was known for her difficult moves and beautiful dance routines. During her four years as a senior gymnast, she won many medals. These included three individual World Championships titles. She won on the floor exercise in 1999 and 2001, and on the balance beam in 2001.

Andreea competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. There, she helped the Romanian team win a gold medal. She also won a silver medal on the vault. She originally won the all-around gold medal. However, she was later disqualified because she tested positive for a banned substance. She and her coaches said she was given cold medicine by the team doctor. They stated it did not help her performance.

Her situation received a lot of attention. Many people, including other gymnasts, supported her. Her case went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Andreea herself was found innocent of any wrongdoing. However, her medal was not given back. The team doctor was banned from two Olympic Games. Andreea returned to win five more World Championships medals. She retired from gymnastics in 2002. Later, she worked in sports media and studied journalism.

Starting Her Gymnastics Journey

Andreea Răducan began gymnastics at four and a half years old. She started in her hometown of Bârlad, Romania. She was part of a new group of gymnasts. They were expected to continue Romania's strong gymnastics tradition.

By 1996, she had won over twenty medals in local events. This led to an invitation to train at the junior team facility in Onești. Two years later, she moved to the national training center in Deva. This is where the top Romanian gymnasts train.

Her first big international competition was the 1998 Junior European Championships. She won a silver medal on balance beam and a bronze on floor exercise. She also placed fourth in the all-around. The next year, she joined the senior team. At the World Championships in Tianjin, China, she won the floor exercise. She also finished fifth in the all-around.

Andreea was especially good on the balance beam, vault, and floor exercise. Unlike some other Romanian gymnasts, she showed a lot of expression. Her routines were full of complex and exciting skills.

Competing at the Sydney Olympics

Andreea performed very well at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She helped the Romanian women's team win their first Olympic team gold medal since 1984. She also qualified for the floor and vault finals. Along with her teammates Simona Amânar and Maria Olaru, she made it to the all-around final.

The all-around final had a big problem. The vault was set 5 centimeters too low. This made it dangerous and changed how gymnasts flew off it. Many gymnasts had falls or injuries during warm-ups and the competition. When the mistake was found, officials fixed the vault. Gymnasts who had already vaulted could try again, but not all did.

Andreea had vaulted on the incorrect equipment but did not fall. She continued to perform well on balance beam and floor exercise. She ended up winning the all-around gold medal. Her teammates, Amânar and Olaru, won silver and bronze. This was the first time since 1960 that gymnasts from one country won all three all-around medals. It was also the last time this could happen, as a "two per country rule" was added later. Andreea then won a silver medal in the vault final.

After the all-around, there were rumors about her gold medal. This affected her focus for the floor final. She fell during her routine, which cost her a bronze medal.

The Doping Situation

A few days after the competition, the International Olympic Committee announced that Andreea had tested positive for a banned substance. This substance was found in a common cold medicine.

Andreea and her coaches said she was innocent. She was a minor and had followed the team doctor's advice. Andreea later wrote in her book that she was given Nurofen Cold & Flu for a fever and cough. This medicine contained the banned substance. She also said the pills made her feel dizzy.

Despite many appeals from Andreea and others, she lost her all-around gold medal. The gold was given to Amânar, silver to Olaru, and bronze to Liu Xuan from China. Andreea's other test samples were clean. So, she kept her team gold and vault silver medals. The Romanian team doctor who gave her the medicine was banned from two Olympic Games.

Both Amânar and Olaru believed Andreea deserved the gold. Liu Xuan also expressed sadness for Andreea. All three refused a formal ceremony for the re-awarded medals. Amânar even said, "I didn't win it. It was won by Andreea and belongs to Andreea." Andreea later clarified that Amânar kept the medal for Romania.

What Happened Next

Andreea's case went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The panel agreed that she gained no advantage from the substance. They also knew she was underage and followed her doctor's orders. However, they upheld the decision to take her medal. They felt the Anti-Doping Code had to be followed strictly.

Andreea was found innocent of personal wrongdoing by the Romanian Olympic Committee. She did not face any sporting ban. The International Gymnastics Federation also decided not to punish her. They felt losing her medal was punishment enough. Everyone agreed the doctor was at fault for giving her the banned substance.

Despite the controversy, Andreea was seen as a positive figure. She received a lot of support in Romania. When she returned home, the Romanian President greeted her. She was given a new gold medal by a Romanian jeweler. She also received sponsorships and prize money. She and Amânar were given diplomatic passports for representing Romania well.

Life After Sydney

Andreea continued training in Deva after the Olympics. Many of her Sydney teammates retired. This made her one of the most experienced gymnasts at the training center.

At the 2001 World Championships in Ghent, Belgium, she helped Romania win team gold. She also won four individual medals: gold on floor and beam, and bronze in the all-around and vault. Injuries affected her training in 2002. After a difficult performance at the World Championships in Hungary, she quietly retired.

After retiring, Andreea became a sports announcer in Romania. She worked for EuroSport, covering events like the 2004 Olympics. She also had her own TV show and did modeling work. Andreea earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Bucharest.

In 2010, she released her autobiography, The Other Side of the Medal. This book shared more details about losing her Olympic medal. A 2020 film called Golden Girl also covered her attempt to get her title back.

Leading Romanian Gymnastics

On August 4, 2017, Andreea Răducan was chosen as the president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation (RGF). She took over from Adrian Stoica, who had been president for 12 years. It was a big challenge for Andreea. The Romanian women's team did not qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games. This was the first time since 1968.

Romania had successfully hosted the European Gymnastics Championships in April 2017. This made people hopeful for the 2017 World Gymnastics Championships. However, Romania's best all-around gymnast, Larisa Iordache, got a serious injury. Another medal hope, Cătălina Ponor, did not qualify for her events.

Andreea stepped down from her role when neither the women's nor men's teams qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Gymnastics Skills

Andreea Răducan was known for these difficult skills:

• Vault: A round-off with a half twist onto the vault, followed by a front layout off.
• Balance beam: A full twisting back salto (a flip with a twist), a double pike back dismount, and a tucked Korbut (a specific type of flip).
• Floor exercise: A double laid-out salto (a straight-body flip), a whip salto connected immediately to a back-double pike salto, and a 2.5 twisting back layout connected immediately to a punch-layout-front, and a triple-twisting back layout.

Floor Music

Andreea used different music for her floor routines:

• 1998–2000: "Las Carretas del Rocio" by the Orquestra Española de Juan Alfonso
• 2000: "Reel Around The Sun" from the album Riverdance by Bill Whelan
• 2001: "Éclipse" from the album Nouvelle Expérience by René Dupere
• 2002: "Meet Her At The Love Parade" by Da Hool and "Right in the Night" by Jam & Spoon featuring Plavka

Competition Results

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
1998
	Junior European Championships		4
	Chunichi Cup		7
	Junior International Team Championships
1999	Arthur Gander Memorial
	Massilia Gym Cup
	International Mixed Pairs		4
	Swiss Cup
	World Championships		5
2000
	European Championships
	Olympic Games		DQ				7
	Chunichi Cup
	Cottbus World Cup			7
	National Championships
2001	Chunichi Cup		4
	Romanian International
	National Championships
	Massilia Gym Cup
	World Championships

Images for kids

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  Olympic Rings

See also

In Spanish: Andreea Răducan para niños