Dominique Moceanu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dominique Moceanu
Moceanu at SXSW 2024
Personal information
Full name	Dominique Helena Moceanu
Country represented	United States
Born	(1981-09-30) September 30, 1981 (age 43) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Hometown	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
Years on national team	1992–2000, 2004–2006 (USA)
Club	LaFleur's; Károlyi's; Moceanu Gymnastics; Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy
Head coach(es)	Béla and Márta Károlyi
Former coach(es)	Jeff LaFleur; Béla and Márta Károlyi; Luminița Miscenco; Mary Lee Tracy; Alexander Alexandrov
Choreographer	Geza Pozar, Dominic Zito
Music	"The Devil Went Down to Georgia"
Retired	2000; 2006
Medal record Women's gymnastics Representing the  United States International gymnastics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships 0 1 1 Goodwill Games 1 0 0 Total 2 1 1 Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Team World Championships Silver 1995 Sabae Balance beam Bronze 1995 Sabae Team Goodwill Games Gold 1998 New York City All-Around

Dominique Helena Moceanu (born September 30, 1981) is a retired American gymnast. She was a key member of the United States women's gymnastics team that won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. This famous team was known as the "Magnificent Seven".

Dominique trained with famous coaches like Béla and Márta Károlyi. She joined the national team at just 10 years old. She competed for the United States in many junior international events. In 1992, she won a silver medal at the Junior Pan American Games. In 1994, she became the junior national champion.

In 1995, at only 13, Dominique became the youngest gymnast to win the senior all-around title at the U.S. National Championships. She was also the youngest on the 1995 World Championships team and the gold medal-winning 1996 Olympics team. She was the last gymnast to legally compete in the Olympics at age 14.

Dominique's last big win was at the 1998 Goodwill Games. There, she became the first American to win the all-around gold medal. After facing personal challenges and injuries, she retired from gymnastics in 2000. Since then, she has worked as a coach, studied business, and wrote a book called Off Balance.

Dominique Moceanu's Early Career

Dominique Moceanu was born in Hollywood, California, on September 30, 1981. Her parents, Dumitru and Camelia Moceanu, were both gymnasts from Romania. She has two younger sisters, Jennifer Bricker and Christina Moceanu Chapman.

Dominique started gymnastics training when she was three years old in Illinois. When she was ten, her family moved to Houston, Texas. This move allowed her to train with the well-known coaches Béla Károlyi and Márta Károlyi.

Under the Károlyis' guidance, Dominique earned her spot on the U.S. National Team in 1992. That same year, she won five medals at the 1992 Junior Pan American Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She became the junior national champion in 1994. The next year, in 1995, she made history as the youngest gymnast to win the USA Gymnastics National Championships. She was also the youngest on the U.S. team at the 1995 World Championships, where she won a silver medal.

Dominique's success and cheerful personality made her very popular. Before the 1996 Olympics, she was one of the most recognized faces of USA Gymnastics. She even appeared in Vanity Fair magazine. She also wrote a book about her life, Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion, which became a best-seller.

Dominique Moceanu at the 1996 Olympics

Many people expected Dominique to win a medal at the 1996 Olympics. However, she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her leg before the games. This injury meant she couldn't compete in the Olympic Trials. But because of her strong scores from the U.S. Nationals, she was still chosen for the team.

At the Olympics, Dominique was still dealing with her injury. She helped the team win the gold medal with her performances. She even qualified for the balance beam and floor exercise finals. However, during the team competition, she fell on both her vaults. Her teammate Kerri Strug then performed a vault that secured the gold medal for the U.S., even though Kerri injured her ankle.

Dominique took Kerri's place in the all-around finals. She made a mistake on the balance beam and finished ninth. In the beam final, she fell and hit her head on the beam. Despite this, she finished her routine. Later that day, she performed well in the floor finals, finishing fourth and just missing another medal.

Dominique Moceanu's Career After the Olympics

After the 1996 Olympics, Dominique took part in gymnastics shows. She then returned to competing. With her coaches, the Károlyis, retiring, she started training with new coaches at a gym her family built.

Dominique placed ninth at the 1997 U.S. Nationals. She then led a mostly new U.S. team at the 1997 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. She reached the all-around final but did not win a medal.

In 1998, Dominique returned to her best form. With her new coach, Luminiţa Miscenco, she adjusted to growing taller. She was chosen to compete at the 1998 Goodwill Games. There, she became the only American to win the all-around title. She beat top gymnasts like Svetlana Khorkina and Simona Amânar.

Two years later, Dominique trained with Mary Lee Tracy. She placed eighth at the 2000 U.S. Nationals. She qualified for the Olympic Trials but had to stop due to a knee injury.

After a five-year break from top-level gymnastics, Dominique announced in 2005 that she was returning. An injury kept her from competing that year. But she continued to train on floor and vault. In 2006, she was invited to a national training camp for USA Gymnastics.

Dominique competed at the 2006 U.S. Classic. She performed a difficult vault successfully. However, on floor, she went out of bounds and fell, getting a low score. She did not qualify for the 2006 National Championships. This decision was controversial because she believed she had met the requirements.

Today, Dominique Moceanu runs the Dominique Moceanu Gymnastics Center and Carmen Yoga Studio in Medina, Ohio. Her son, Vincent Canales, also trains there.

Dominique Moceanu's Personal Life

Dominique Moceanu was raised in the Romanian Orthodox Church. She has said her faith helped her during her gymnastics career.

In 1998, Dominique gained control over her own life and finances from a court in Houston. She later made up with her father, who walked her down the aisle at her wedding.

Dominique is married to Dr. Michael Canales, who is a foot doctor and used to be a gymnast in college. They got married on November 4, 2006, in Houston, Texas. Other famous gymnasts attended their wedding. They first met in 1994 when Dominique was 12. They have three children. Their son, Vincent, is interested in gymnastics and even appeared on American Ninja Warrior Junior. He hopes to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics. The family lives in Ohio.

Dominique went to Northland Christian School as a teenager. She later graduated from John Carroll University in 2009 with a degree in business.

Dominique Moceanu's Memoir and Sister

"She Looks Like Me" cast and crew at SXSW 2024. Torquil Jones, Jen Bricker–Bauer, and Dominique Moceanu.

In her book Off Balance, Dominique Moceanu shared a surprising discovery. She found out she has a younger sister, Jennifer Bricker. Jennifer was born without legs and was adopted as a baby. Jennifer is an acrobat and aerialist. She admired Dominique before she knew they were sisters. Documentaries like "Eva Longoria's Versus: Romanian Roots" and “She Looks Like Me” tell the story of how they found each other.

In her book, Dominique also talked about her experiences training with Béla and Marta Károlyi.

Images for kids

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  Olympic rings

See also

In Spanish: Dominique Moceanu para niños