Maria Olaru

Maria Olaru
— Gymnast —
Country represented  Romania
Born (1982-06-04) June 4, 1982
Falticeni, Romania
Height 160 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Weight 48 kg (106 lb)
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Medal record
Olympic Games
2000 Sydney Team
2000 Sydney All Around
World Championships
1999 Tianjin Team
1999 Tianjin All Around
1999 Tianjin Vault
European Championships
1998 St Petersburg Team
1998 St Petersburg Vault

Maria Olaru (born June 4, 1982)[1] is a retired Olympic artistic gymnast from Romania. She is an Olympic, World, and European gold medalist with the team. Individually, she was the 1999 all around world champion and the 2000 Olympic all around silver medalist. Her best event was the vault on which she medaled at world and continental competitions. Olaru was one of the tallest gymnasts competing in the late 1990s, standing 160 cm (5 ft 3 in). After retirement she became an assistant professor at the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education of the West University of Timișoara.[2]

Early life and career

Born in Fălticeni, Olaru began gymnastics at the age of six there, but quickly transferred to the local gymnastics club in Deva. She moved up to the junior national team in 1993, but after six months, she returned to her home club. In 1995 she rejoined the junior team in Bucharest. Olaru graduated to the Deva national training facility in 1996, after winning gold on vault at the Junior European Championships.[3] In the same year she also won the prestigious Top Gym Trophy in Charleroi, Belgium.[4]

Senior career

In 1998 Olaru moved up to senior competition, taking first place with the Romanian team and second on vault at the European Championships.[5] The following year, she contributed to the team gold medal at the 1999 World Championships in Tianjin, China and became the second Romanian gymnast in history, after Aurelia Dobre, to win the all-around title. In 2000 she was together with Simona Amânar, Loredana Boboc, Andreea Isărescu, Claudia Presacan and Andreea Răducan a member of the Romanian team at the 2000 Olympics. Here she shared in the team gold medal and won a bronze in the all-around (this was changed to a silver after the Andrea Raducan controversy). She also qualified for the balance beam event final and placed sixth.

Retirement

Olaru retired after the 2000 Olympics, noting that the new Code of Points would not be suited to gymnasts of her height, and enrolled as a student at the West University of Timișoara. After graduation she continued her studies and she became an assistant professor at the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education of the West University of Timișoara.[2]

Skills

References

  1. ↑ Sports Reference Maria Olaru
  2. 1 2 West University of Timişoara Faculty of Sports and Physical Education Staff
  3. ↑ Gymn-Forum Results 1996 Junior European Championships
  4. ↑ Top Gym Palmares Complet
  5. ↑ Gymnastics Results 1998 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships
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