Rising international stars Ana Porgras and Flavius Koczi easily won the Romanian Championships held this weekend in Resita.
Progras, 17, looked fully recovered from the fractured right fibula she sustained dismounting from beam at April's European Championships. Despite a fall on floor (overrotated her opening full twisting double tuck, 13.5), Porgras cruised past up and comer Diana Chelaru (56.7) and European beam champion Amelia Racea (56.65) for the all-around gold (57.8).
Porgras's best score of the day came on her best event, balance beam (15.8). She was also impressive on uneven bars (14.7), but rather weak on vault, where she netted only 13.8. Chelaru, the only Romanian currently throwing a double twisting Yurchenko in competition, had the top score on that event (14.6), as well as on floor (14.6).
Veteran Cerasela Patrascu, who looked like one to watch after the 2007 World Championships but has been sidelined with a multitude of injuries that has kept her from performing her best, finished fourth (56.45, easy floor tumbling for this level), followed by Olympian Gabriela Dragoi (55.7) and first year senior Raluca Haidu. 2008 Olympic floor champion Sandra Izbasa competed on vault (Yurchenko 1.5), beam and floor, her best events.
The most impressive part of Porgras's program to me was her leaps -- when she jumps she really has air to spare. Otherwise, she looked very prepared for all her routines, despite the fall on floor. She's obviously been doing many repetitions in training and building consistency, which is what the Romanians are known for. It's disheartening to see Haidu finish so low in the standings, but if she begins to demonstrate consistency she may yet earn herself a place on Romania's World team.
Fourteen-year-old Larissa Iordache won Romania's junior national title with a 58.4, a score that would also have won her the senior title. Diana Bulimar was second (54.75), followed by Diana Rusu (52.3).
Koczi, the reigning World silver medalist on vault, totaled a high 90.1 en route to a blowout all-around victory over Marius Berbecar (86.2) and Cristian Bataga (86.15). Veteran Adrian Bacur, Vlad Cotuna and Alin Jivan rounded out the top six.
Kozci is a World class gymnast on vault, pommel horse, parallel bars and floor, where he would be World Champion if a title were given for twisting ability. But he is weak on rings and especially on high bar, and those areas are likely to keep him from challenging for the World all-around title next month. As a four-even specialist, however, he would be welcomed on any team in the world.
The men's competition was without reigning World vault and floor champion Marian Dragulescu, who injured his foot the day before the meet.
"I had a slight accident on vault and Achilles tendon pain," Dragulescu told the newspaper ProSport. "I decided it was better not to force things." He cheered on his teammates from the stands instead.
Their biggest star's absence from the country's biggest competition obviously irritated one Romanian official. "I only know what has been written about his injury. But I feel that Marian might be slightly afraid of competition," Romanian Federation President Adrian Stocia told ProSport. "We will see exactly what it is when we return to Bucharest."
Dragulescu defended himself, saying that he didn't want to injure himself further before Worlds.
"That is the priority: a medal there," he said.
Follow Gymnastics Examiner Blythe Lawrence on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GymExaminer or click the "Subscribe" button to receive the latest gymnastics news and results via e-mail.
Comments