Monica Roşu
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| Olympic medal record | |||
| Women's Artistic Gymnastics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Team competition | |
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Vault | |
Monica Roşu (born May 11, 1987 in Bacău) is an artistic gymnast from Romania, who started gymnastics in 1991 at age four and trained during her early years at CSS Bacău.
Powerful and hardworking, Roşu was selected to train for the junior national team and left her family for Oneşti, then the site of the junior training center. The world got its first glimpse of young Roşu at the Top Gym Tournament in early 2000. When two juniors from Deva pulled out unexpectedly just days before the meet began, Roşu was selected as a last-minute replacement. Held annually in Charleroi, Belgium, the Top Gym Tournament is one of the more prestigious international junior competitions. Competing with an ankle injury and first-meet jitters, Monica's performance left much to be desired. After multiple falls, she finished 12th all-around and few fans ever expected to see her again.
Determined to improve, Roşu competed internationally in Holland and Slovakia in 2001. Always a powerful tumbler, she made great strides in vaulting and floor exercise and soon moved with her teammates to the national training center in Deva. Still a junior in 2002, she competed exhibition at the Romanian International, placing fourth. She went on to be a part of the junior squad at the European Championships, where she earned bronze medals on vaulting and floor exercise.
Over the next two years, Roşu competed national and internationally, gaining a great deal of experience. She competed at her first world championships in the USA in 2003, winning silver with her team and placing fourth on the vault. She then won gold on vault at the Senior European Championships the following spring.
Roşu's finest hour came during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. With Catalina Ponor, Daniela Sofronie, Oana Ban, Alexandra Eremia and Silvia Stroescu she was a part of the Romanian team who successfully defended their Olympic Team Title. In a dominant performance they won by nearly a full point and finished top on three of the four apparatus. The strongest vaulter on the team, she contributed scores in the finals of 9.625 on vault and 9.375 on bars. Roşu also won gold on the vault, competing the two most difficult vaults of the Olympic Games and indeed the most difficult ever performed by a woman in Olympic competition. She was nearly two tenths ahead of her nearest rival.
After injuring herself in 2005, and showing sub-par performances, Roşu failed to make the 2005 world championship team and has since retired.
[edit] Achievements
- 2000 Top Gym Tournament: 6th Team, 12th A-A, 6th BB 12th FX, 6 V
- 2001 Tournament of Arques: 3rd A-A
- 2001 Slovakian International: 4th A-A, 6th BB, 7th UB, 7th FX
- 2001 Hypotheek Tournament: 2nd A-AShe won two gold medals for her country in the 2004 Athens Olympics with the Romanian women taking out the Team competition (from the US) and Roşu herself winning the vault with a score of 9.656. She won a silver medal on vault at the 2004 World Cup Final. She injured herself in 2005 and has not competed since 2004.
