Sabina Cojocar

Sabina Cojocar
— Gymnast —

During a press conference at the 2000 European Gymnastics Championships
Personal information
Full name Sabina Carolina Cojocar
Country represented  Romania
Born October 23, 1985
Sibiu, Romania
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Level Senior International
Gym Deva National Training Center
Head coach(es) Octavian Bellu
Assistant coach(es) Mariana Bitang, Lucian Sandu
Former coach(es) Nicolae Buzoianu, Nicoleta Zaharia
Choreographer Adriana Pop, Puia Valer, Raluca Bugner
Retired 2004

Sabina Carolina Cojocar (born October 23, 1985) is a retired international elite artistic gymnast from Romania as well as a singer. She is a world gold medalist with the team (2001) and a five-time medalist at the 2000 Junior European Gymnastics Championships.[1]

Early life and career

Cojocar was born October 23, 1985 in Sibiu, Romania. She began gymnastics at the age of three years and eight months, though she told her coach she was five. She was afraid that the coach would not accept a gymnast who was only three.[2] A few years later, she was accepted into the Junior National Team in Oneşti and after one year she was accepted as a member of the National Team in Deva under the direct guidance of head-coach Octavian Bellu.[2] She made her international debut at the age of fourteen at the 2000 Junior European Championships in Paris, France where she won three gold medals: on the all around[3] (ahead of teammate Silvia Stroescu), vault and beam; and two silver medals: on floor and with the team.[1] She was touted as the new leader of the young Romanian team and quickly drew international attention, appearing on the cover of the June/July 2000 edition of the International Gymnast Magazine.[2]

Senior career

In August 2001, Sabina competed in the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. She won the all around title, upsetting more established gymnasts such as Svetlana Khorkina, and earned a bronze medal on the floor exercise. Her first major senior event was the 2001 World Championships in Ghent, Belgium, later in the year, where she placed first with the Romanian team, sixth in the all-around, and fourth on beam.[4] Cojocar underwent shoulder surgery in December 2001. In early 2002, she was one of the gymnasts affected when coach Octavian Bellu decided to send the entire senior national team home from the Deva training center. Cojocar returned to her home club in Sibiu to train. She was one of the only gymnasts eventually asked to return to Deva, and competed in the 2002 World Championships placing fifth on vault and ninth on floor exercise.[5]

Retirement

In 2003 Sabina retired due to a chronic liver problem. She was diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia (high level of cholesterol in the blood) in 2000 and prescribed Zocor. The medicine was not intended for use by children, and had several serious side effects for Cojocar. She complained of weakness and severe muscle and ligament pain, and Belu forced her to continue training and taking the medicine. After leaving Deva, Cojocar was vocal in the media about the problems on the national team. In addition to the medication problems, she alleged that Belu was physically abusive to the gymnasts, and that some girls had suffered "terrible beatings." In 2004, Sabina returned to training to make one final push towards the Olympic Games, however she was not successful. After retirement she pursued her education and in 2008 she graduated Physical Education and Sport Faculty at "Lucian Blaga" University of Science in Sibiu. After graduation she worked as a coach at her former club in Sibiu and at a club in Norway.[2] Cojocar is also a jewelry designer and she has her online shop.[6]

Music career

In 2006 Cojocar released the single "Domine" and in September 2007, Sabina released on Myspace, a song she wrote herself ('I don't wanna lose U').[3] Sabina also tried out to become Romania's entrant in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. She worked with Romania's 2006 representative, Mihai Trăistariu to achieve this goal but, she did not pass the national song selection.[7][8]

Skills

Vault: Double-twisting Yurchenko; Round-off, flic-flac with 1/1 turn (360) on - piked salto bwd off.

Uneven bars: Kip; cast to handstand; clear hip to handstand; toe-on to high bar; kip; cast to handstand; giant; hop full; full pirouette; 1 ½ pirouette; Tkatchev; kip; cast; overshoot; kip; cast; sole circle; jump to high bar; kip; cast to handstand; giant; giant; full in dismount.

Balance beam: Jump to knee mount, back handspring, back handspring, tucked full; switch split leap; Chen; front aerial; full turn; salto sideward tucked; back handspring, back handspring, triple twist.

Floor exercise: Front handspring, 2 1/2 twist; round off, back handspring, double pike; double twisting cat leap, hitchkick; round off, back handspring, double salto backward tucked with 1/1 twist (360); switch ring leap, double twisting tuck jump; full turn (with leg horizontal); round off, whip, triple twist.[2]

Floor Exercise Music

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gymnastics Results 2000 Junior European Championships
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Sabina Cojocar Official Webpage
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 International Gymnast Magazine, "A new voice", by John Crumlish, October 2010, page 46
  4. ↑ Gymnastics results 2001 World artistic gymnastics championships
  5. ↑ Gymnastics Results 2002 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
  6. ↑ The couch gymnast Catching up with Sabina Cojocar, by Brigid McCarthy, November 2010
  7. ↑ Sabina`s Blog
  8. ↑ Gardianul, Mihai Traistariu o pregateste pe gimnasta Sabina Cojocar pentru Eurovision 2008

External links