Romania names World teams

September 4, 9:56 PMGymnastics ExaminerBlythe Lawrence

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2008 Olympic floor gold medalist Sandra Izbasa, aptly dubbed "Romania's Nastia" by The Couch Gymnast, headlines the Romanian contingent named to the 2009 World team.

Izbasa, 2008 European floor medalist Anamaria Tamarjan and new seniors Diana Chelaru and Ana Porgras will compete for Romania in London Oct. 13-18.

2008 Olympic beam finalist Gabriela Dragoi was named team alternate.

Izbasa, 19, has been a favorite in the Romanian media since returning from Beijing. Newcomer Porgras has an eye-catching beam routine, made more so by the fact that Romanians since the early 1990s have been noted for stoic-looking -- if very solid -- gymnastics performances.

Ana Porgras, 2009 Spain vs. Romania, Balance Beam:

Chelaru competed a girlish floor routine at the 2009 European Championships in Milan earlier this year that included a full twisting double back and a whip to immediate triple full.

Diana Chelaru, 2009 European Championships Prelims, Floor Exercise:

According to the Romanian newspaper Prosport, the men's team for London will be Marian Dragulescu, Flavius Koczi, Berbecar Marius, Daniel Popescu, Cosmin Popescu, Robert Stanescu. Alternates are Alin Jivan and Ovidiu Buidoso.

Twenty eight-year-old Dragulescu, a vault and floor superstar, initially retired after the 2008 Olympic Games to become a coach. He returned to training in May, according to Romanian newspaper Adev?rul. As at the 2004 Olympic Games, Dragulescu rocked the landing of his first vault during event finals in Beijing, only to fall on his second.

Marian Dragulescu, 2008 Olympic Games Event Finals, Vault: