Amelia Racea

Amelia Racea
Personal information
Full name Elena Amelia Racea
Nickname(s) Ama
Country represented  Romania
Born (1994-08-29) August 29, 1994
Tîrgu Jiu
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Club CSS Deva
Head coach(es) Octavian Bellu, Mariana Bitang
Assistant coach(es) Liliana Cozma, Lucian Sandu, Mircea Vintila
Former coach(es) Nicolae Forminte, Florin Cotutiu,[1][2] Ramona Micu, Corina Dodean[2]
Choreographer Puia Valer
Medal record
Representing  Romania
European Championships
2010 Birmingham Balance Beam
2010 Birmingham Team
2011 Berlin All-Around

Elena Amelia Racea (born August 29, 1994, in Tîrgu Jiu, Romania) is a Romanian artistic gymnast. She is a European champion on balance beam and a European all around and team bronze medalist.

Early gymnastics career

Amelia Racea on beam.

Racea started gymnastics at the age of 6 and won her first all around national title in her age category in 2007. In 2008, she joined the junior national team in Deva.[1] She had a successful junior career, medaling at various international competitions. She won silver on beam and bronze on floor and placed fourth all around and with the team at the 2008 Junior European Championships.[3] In 2009, she placed fifth all around at the prestigious American Cup ahead of more experienced gymnasts such as Koko Tsurumi and Kristina Goryunova.[4] If not for a fall from uneven bars she might have placed higher.[1] Later that year she won the all around junior title at both the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy and the Lugano Trophy in Switzerland.[5][6] The 10th European Youth Olympic Festival in Tampere was a very successful meet for Racea. Here she won a total of six medals, two gold (vault and beam) and four silver (floor, uneven bars, all around and with the team).[7]

Senior career

2010

Racea's senior debut at a major international competition was at the 2010 European Championships. Here she qualified for the vault and floor finals and contributed to the team bronze medal.[8] In the beam final she replaced the top qualifier Ana Porgras who withdrew due to an ankle injury. She won the gold medal on beam and placed fifth on floor and seventh on vault.[9] Due to injuries Racea was a reserve of the team for the 2010 World Championships and she did not compete at this event.[10]

2011

Her first 2011 competition was the European Championships in Berlin. Here she had a weak performance in the qualification day with mistakes on floor, beam and uneven bars. Consequently, she failed to qualify on beam and barely qualified in the all around final (22nd place).[11] However, in the all around final Racea managed to have clean routines and edged teammate Diana Chelaru for the bronze medal.[12] She also placed seventh in the vault final.[13] A week later she participated at the 2011 Glasgow World Cup, where she won the all around title ahead of Jessica Lopez and teammate Raluca Haidu.[14] In August–September 2011, she had good performances at the Romanian National Championships (second all around)[15] and at two friendly meets in Germany and Great Britain. After these competitions she went with the Romanian team to compete at the 2011 World Championships. Here, she helped her team place fourth by competing on uneven bars and on beam in the team final.[16] Individually, she placed fifth in the beam final.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 International Gymnast Magazine ISSN 0891-6616, Could she be Deva's next diva? Debbie Poe, May 2010, page 42
  2. 1 2 Sports Magazine Birmingham hero left home at the age of 6 (Romanian), by Roxana Fleşeru and Remus Suciu, May 4, 2010
  3. ↑ Gymnastics Results 2008 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships
  4. ↑ Gymnastics Results 2009 Tyson American Cup
  5. ↑ Gymnastics Results 2009 Trofeo Citta di Jesolo
  6. ↑ Gymnastics Results 2009 Lugano Trophy
  7. ↑ Gymnastics Results 10th European Youth Olympic Festival
  8. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Russian women reclaim European title, Amanda Turner, May 1, 2010
  9. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Tweddle, Rusia bid golden farewell to Birmingham, by Amanda Turner, May 2, 2010
  10. ↑ European Union of Gymnastics 42nd World Championships; Statistics
  11. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Mustafina dominates Berlin qualification, Amanda Turner, April 6, 2011
  12. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Dementyeva wins after Mustafina injured, Amanda Turner, April 8, 2011
  13. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Tweddle takes third European bars title, Amanda Turner, April 9, 2011
  14. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine, Racea Purvis win Glasgow world cup, Amanda Turner, April 2011
  15. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine Porgras takes third Romanian title, by Amanda Turner, August 26, 2011
  16. ↑ Gymnastics Results 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
  17. ↑ International Gymnast Magazine World Championships conclude in Tokyo, by Amanda Turner, October 16, 2011
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