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
Level	Senior International
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 artistic gymnast from Romania. She won many medals, including being the all-around champion at the 2000 Olympics. Simona earned seven Olympic medals and ten World Championship medals during her amazing career. She was a key part of the Romanian team that won four world titles in a row from 1994 to 1999, and also the Olympic team gold in 2000. A very difficult gymnastics move, a vault, is named after her. In 2007, she was honored by being added to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Simona Amânar: A Gymnastics Star

Simona Amânar is from the Aromanian ethnic group.

Early Career and First Wins

In 1994, Simona Amânar joined the senior national team. This was her first year competing at the highest level. She helped Romania win team titles at both the World Championships and the European Championships.

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

Success at the 1996 Olympics

In 1996, Simona won a silver medal on vault at the World Championships. She was a top contender for several medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Even though she had a small mistake early on, she performed very well.

Simona ended up replacing a teammate in the all-around final. Her coach said she deserved to compete because she worked very hard. Simona won a bronze medal in the all-around, sharing it with her teammate Lavinia Miloşovici.

In the event finals, Simona won the vault gold medal. 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, which was a fantastic achievement!

World Championships: 1997-1999

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

At the 1999 World Championships, Simona led the Romanian team to their fourth consecutive world title. This was a huge accomplishment for the team. Simona also won a silver medal on the floor exercise at this competition.

The 2000 Sydney Olympics

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, the Romanian team, led by Simona, won the team title. This was their first Olympic team gold since 1984.

During the all-around competition, there was a problem with the vaulting horse. It was set too low, which caused many gymnasts to struggle. The three Romanian gymnasts managed to perform well despite this issue. They ended up winning all three medals: gold, silver, and bronze.

Simona initially won the silver medal. However, the gold medalist, Andreea Răducan, was later found to have taken a cold medicine that contained a banned substance. Because of this, Răducan was stripped of her all-around gold medal. The gold medal was then given to Simona Amânar.

At first, Simona did not want to accept the gold medal. She felt that Răducan had earned it fairly. Her teammate, Maria Olaru, who received the silver, felt the same way. However, they later decided to accept the medals. They wanted to bring them home to Romania as a symbol of their country's victory. Simona still believes that Răducan was the true Olympic all-around champion.

In the event finals, Simona tried a new, very difficult vault. It was a 2½ twisting laid-out Yurchenko, which was later named the "Amanar" vault. She had a stumble and did not win a medal on vault this time. She did, however, win a bronze medal on the floor exercise.

Simona's Legacy in Gymnastics

Simona Amânar is one of the most decorated gymnasts in the world. She has won 10 World Championship medals and 7 Olympic medals. She played a huge part in Romania winning four world team titles in a row and an Olympic team title. These wins helped establish Romania as the top women's gymnastics team in the world.

The Amanar vault is a famous and difficult move named after Simona. It starts with a round-off onto the vaulting table. Then, the gymnast performs a laid-out salto with 2½ twists. Simona first performed this vault at the 2000 Olympics. It is still considered one of the hardest vaults in women's gymnastics.

After Retirement

Simona Amânar retired from gymnastics in 2000, right after the Olympic Games. She married Cosmin Tabără, who is a lawyer, in 2002. Five months later, they welcomed their son, Alexandru Iosif. Today, Simona is the vice president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation.

Her Special Skill

Simona Amânar has a special skill named after her in the Code of Points. This is the official rulebook for gymnastics.

Images for kids

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  Olympic rings

See also

In Spanish: Simona Amânar para niños

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for Romania
• List of Olympic medal leaders in women's gymnastics
• List of top female medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships