Stuttgart World Cup - Ana Porgras wins gold on beam!

Ana did really well in the beam final, she only had a small wobble after her back somersault so
she won gold! with a 14.625. Brilliant result for her and it will definitely boost her confidence.

Result BB:

1. Ana Porgras (Rom) 14.625
2. Maike Roll (Ger) 13.575
3. Ksenia Semenova (Rus) 13.525
4. Luisa Galiulina (Uzb) 13.125
5. Elisabeth Seitz (Ger) 13.075
6. Valeria Maksiuta (Isr) 12.800
7. Marlies Rijken (Ned) 12.475
8. Jana Komrskova (Cze) 12.275

Qualifications:
Unfortunately Ana didn't perform well on bars, she came off the apparatus during a turn on the low bar and scored 13.175, placing her 10th and missing the finals.
She fell off beam on her side-somi but the rest of the routine was good and she qualified in third place for the finals with a 13.575. Ksenia Semenova (Rus) qualified first with a 13.925 and Luisa Galiulina from Uzbekistan second with a 13.850.

Romanian Gymnast Profile: Focsani Native Maria Răuţă

On October 21, 2009 she won the gold at the “Mircea Frum” Memorial in Constanta, Romania. And on October 29, 2009, Maria Răuţă won 3 gold medals at the Junior Nationals of Romania that were held in her hometown of FOCŞANI. Maria is a member of CSS Focşani and she is 12 years old.

After winning gold in the AA , Maria Răuţă won 2 more gold medals on the Event Finals - Floor Exercise and Balance Beam.


The new champion confessed that she was so nervous to attend such prestigious competition in her hometown, that she couldn't sleep for 2 days!

However, she was able to compose herself and transform her dream into reality today - she was dreaming of this gold medal since she was 5 years old (and started gymnastics).

"It's the happiest day of my life!" (Maria Răuţă).
Coach Adriana Lescovar, gymnast Maria Răuţă & coach Carmen Smeu.

"Longines Prize for Elegance"

News from Marocanu:

November 1, 2009

Since 1997, watchmaker Longines has awarded the "Longines Prize for Elegance" to a male and female gymnast at the World Gymnastics Championships.
"Elegance" can be interpreted in several ways: a spirited comeback after not being given an Olympic wildcard (see: Elsa Garcia, 2009) to sportsmanship (Shawn Johnson, 2007)
to having a historic performance for your country (Monette Russo, 2005).

I don't mean to bash Longines; their prizewinners are usually among the most artistic and inspirational at the World Championships, and the company handled the realtime results available in London.
But I do wish they gave prizes for things other than elegance.

Here are a few prizes that they might have considered for the 2009 Worlds:

...

The Longines Prize for Promise: To 16-year-old Ana Porgras, who had a fabulous competition on the first day,
followed by falls on beam during both the all-around and event finals.

When she stays on, Porgras's beam routine is one of the best in the world, and she is being touted as one of the most graceful and artistic gymnasts competing right now,
words that haven't been used to describe a Romanian gymnast in about 20 years.

Carrot-Top Fat Lady Attempts a Split!! (Laugh of the Day)

OOPS!!! Don't split your pants! :D ROTFL It's none other than Karen Inskip Hayward, author of many so-called gymnastics books in godforsaken Brittain.

Ana Pogras: Charming New Romanian Gymnastics Rising Superstar!