Gabriela Drăgoi

Gabriela Drăgoi
— Gymnast —
Nickname(s) Gabi
Country represented  Romania
Born August 28, 1992
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Club CSS Buzău
Head coach(es) Octavian Bellu, Mariana Bitang
Assistant coach(es) Liliana Cozma
Former coach(es) Nicolae Forminte, Costică Cliniciu, Gabriela Trușcă
Choreographer Puia Valer

Gabriela Drăgoi (born August 28, 1992, in Buzău, Romania) is a Romanian artistic gymnast.[1] She is an Olympic bronze medalist and a European gold medalist with the team. Individually she is a European bronze medalist on balance beam.

Early gymnastics career

Gabriela began training for gymnastics at the age of four at CSS Buzau with Costica Cliniciu and 1976 Olympic silver medalist Gabriela Trușcă (now Gabriela Robu).[2] She had a promising junior career with participations in various international events. In 2007 she placed fourth all around at the 7th Lugano International Trophy[3] and eight all around, sixth on vault, eight on uneven bars and fourth on floor at the 27th International Junior Competition, Yokohama.[4]

Senior career

2008 and the Olympic Games

Her first participation at a major international event was as the 2008 European Championships. Here she competed in the team finals replacing Cerasela Pătraşcu who injured her foot during the team qualifications.[5] She helped the team to win the gold medal by competing on vault (14.225) and on uneven bars (14.600).[6] She was the surprise of the 2008 Romanian Nationals placing first on beam ahead of the more experienced Nistor. She also placed seventh all around and sixth on vault.[7] Gabriela was selected alongside Sandra Izbaşa, Steliana Nistor, Andreea Grigore, Andreea Acatrinei and Anamaria Tămârjan to be a member of the Romanian team at the 2008 Olympic Games. Here she helped her team to qualify in the fourth position in the team finals by competing on uneven bars (14.225), beam (15.450), and on floor (14.250). Her score on floor was the lowest among her team and it was not counted. However, her score on beam was the highest among her team and she placed seventh in the qualification for the beam final. Her colleagues Nistor and Izbaşa who medaled previously on beam at world and European championships did not qualify.[8] In the team final event she helped her team win the bronze medal by competing on the uneven bars (14.425).[9] Individually she placed fifth in the beam final improving the score obtained in the qualification (15.625).[10]

2009

Struggling with health problems she was not at her full physical potential at the 2009 European Championships.[11] However she managed to qualify sixth on beam and to place ninth on uneven bars preliminaries.[12] She won bronze on beam finals behind her team mate Anamaria Tămârjan and Ukrainian Yana Demyanchuk.[13] In May she participated at the Glasgow Grand Prix where she won the bronze on balance beam and placed fifth on uneven bars and sixth on floor.[14] Later that year she replaced injured Sandra Izbaşa at the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.[15] Here she placed 11th and 17th in the uneven bars and beam qualifications, respectively.[16]

2010

In January 2010 she underwent surgery for tibia tear with little chances of making the team for the 2010 European Championships.[17] She made a comeback in August at a friendly meet in Great Britain. Here she won first place with the team and placed fourth on uneven bars.[18] Later that year, she was selected in the national team for 2010 World Championships. Here she placed fourth with her team by competing on balance beam and uneven bars.[19]

References

  1. ↑ NBC Olympics Bios Gabriela Drăgoi
  2. ↑ Steliana Nistor Unofficial Fan Site; News Archive Gabi Drăgoi, the pride of Buzău, (translation of Romanian article)
  3. ↑ Gymnastics Results 7th Lugano Trophy 2007
  4. ↑ 27th International Junior Competition
  5. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Romanians lead European Championships qualifications, April 3, 2008
  6. ↑ European Union of Gymnastics 2008 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships; Official Results
  7. ↑ Gymnastics Results 2008 Romanian Nationals
  8. ↑ Results Beijing Women’s Qualification
  9. ↑ Wikipedia Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics; Women’s team final
  10. ↑ Wikipedia Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics; Women’s balance beam
  11. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Romanians confident of medals in Milan, Amanda Turner, March 26, 2009
  12. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Semyonova leads European qualifications, Amanda Turner, April 2, 2009
  13. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine France, Britain, double winners in Milan, Amanda Turner, April 5, 2009
  14. ↑ Gymnastics Results 2009 Glasgow Grand Prix
  15. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Izbasa Out of Worlds with Torn Achilles' Tendon, September 18, 2009, by Dwight Normile
  16. ↑ Gymnastics Results 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
  17. ↑ Steliana Nistor Unofficial Site:News English translation of articles appeared in Prosport (Romanian)
  18. ↑ Romanian Gymnastics Federation Ipswich Competition Results
  19. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Schedule, start lists and results, October, 2010

External links