Simona Amânar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Simona Amânar
Full name	Simona Amânar
Nickname(s)	Simi
Country represented	Romania
Born	(1979-10-07) 7 October 1979 (age 45) Constanța, Romania
Height	158 cm (5 ft 2 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	1994–2000 (ROM)
Gym	Deva National Training Center
Head coach(es)	Octavian Bellu
Assistant coach(es)	Mariana Bitang
Eponymous skills	Amanar (vault)
Retired	2000
Medal record Representing  Romania Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Vault Gold 2000 Sydney Team Gold 2000 Sydney All-Around Silver 1996 Atlanta Floor Exercise Bronze 1996 Atlanta Team Bronze 1996 Atlanta All-Around Bronze 2000 Sydney Floor Exercise World Championships Gold 1994 Dortmund Team Gold 1995 Sabae Team Gold 1995 Sabae Vault Gold 1997 Lausanne Team Gold 1997 Lausanne Vault Gold 1999 Tianjin Team Silver 1996 San Juan Vault Silver 1997 Lausanne All-Around Silver 1999 Tianjin Vault Silver 1999 Tianjin Floor Exercise World Cup Final Gold 1998 Sabae Vault Gold 1998 Sabae Floor Exercise Silver 2000 Glasgow Vault Silver 2000 Glasgow Balance Beam Bronze 2000 Glasgow Floor Exercise Goodwill Games Silver 1998 New York Floor Exercise Bronze 1998 New York All Around Bronze 1998 New York Vault Bronze 1998 New York Uneven Bars European Championships Gold 1994 Stockholm Team Gold 1996 Birmingham Team Gold 1996 Birmingham Vault Gold 1996 Birmingham Uneven Bars Gold 1998 St. Petersburg Team Gold 2000 Paris Vault Silver 1998 St. Petersburg All-Around Silver 1998 St. Petersburg Vault Silver 2000 Paris Balance Beam Bronze 1998 St. Petersburg Balance Beam Bronze 1998 St. Petersburg Floor Exercise Bronze 2000 Paris Team

Simona Amânar (born October 7, 1979) is a famous former Romanian gymnast. She was the Olympic all-around champion in 2000. Simona won many medals, including seven at the Olympic Games and ten at the World Championships.

She helped Romania win four world team titles in a row from 1994 to 1999. She also helped her team win the Olympic team title in 2000. There is even a special vault skill named after her. It is one of the hardest vaults in women's gymnastics. Simona Amânar was added to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2007.

Simona Amânar's Gymnastics Journey

Simona Amânar started her journey in gymnastics in 1994. This was her first year on the senior national team. She quickly made a big impact.

Early Success: 1994-1995

In 1994, Simona helped Romania win team titles. These wins were at both the World and European Championships.

She started to shine as an individual gymnast in 1995. At the European Cup, she placed second in the all-around competition. She also won gold medals on both the vault and floor exercise. At the 1995 World Championships, she helped Romania win its second team title in a row. Simona also became a co-champion on vault.

Olympic Highlights: 1996 Atlanta Games

Simona Amânar won a silver medal on vault at the 1996 World Championships. This was just before the Olympics.

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Simona was expected to win several individual medals. She had a strong performance in the optional routines. Even though she didn't initially qualify for the all-around final, she was chosen to compete. She ended up sharing the bronze medal in the all-around with her teammate Lavinia Miloşovici.

In the event finals, Simona won the vault final. She performed a difficult double-twisting Yurchenko vault. She also won a silver medal on the floor exercise. Simona left the 1996 Olympics with four medals. These included a bronze for the Romanian team.

World Championships: 1997-1999

Romania continued its winning streak. The team won its third straight title at the 1997 World Championships. Simona won a silver medal in the all-around competition. She then won a gold medal on vault.

In the 1999 World Championships, Simona led the Romanian team to its fourth team title in a row. She also won a silver medal on the floor exercise.

Olympic Glory: 2000 Sydney Games

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the Romanian team won the team title. This was a very exciting win for them.

During the all-around competition, there was a problem with the vaulting horse. It was set too low. This caused several gymnasts to make mistakes. The Romanian gymnasts, including Simona, performed well despite the issue. They ended up winning all three medals in the all-around. Andreea Răducan won gold, Simona won silver, and Maria Olaru won bronze.

Later, Andreea Răducan's gold medal was taken away due to a banned substance in her cold medicine. Simona Amânar was then awarded the gold medal. Simona and Maria Olaru initially did not want to accept the medals. They felt Andreea had earned the title. However, they later decided to accept them to bring the medals home for Romania. Simona always said that Andreea Răducan was the true champion.

In the event finals, Simona won a bronze medal on the floor exercise.

Simona Amânar's Legacy

Simona Amânar is one of the most decorated gymnasts in the world. She won 10 World and 7 Olympic medals. She played a huge part in Romania becoming the top women's gymnastics team. They won four World team titles and an Olympic title.

The Amanar vault is a very famous skill named after her. It involves a round-off entry onto the vaulting table. Then, the gymnast performs a laid-out salto with two and a half twists. Simona first performed this difficult skill at the 2000 Olympics.

Life After Gymnastics

Simona Amânar retired from gymnastics in 2000 after the Olympic Games. She married Cosmin Tabără in 2002. They have a son named Alexandru Iosif. Simona is now the vice president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation.

Images for kids

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  Olympic rings symbol

See also

In Spanish: Simona Amânar para niños