Men's Europeans Preview

The Romanian men’s team was interviewed by Romanian newspaper Adevarul before the start of the European Championships. The interviews were conducted by Adrian Macarie.

Gymnasts Marius Urzica, Marian Dragulescu, Dan Potra, Ioan Suciu and Constantin Covaci were joined by coaches Dan Grecu, Stefan Gal, Adrian Sandu and Aurelian Georgescu in Patras. Dan Grecu, Marius Urzica and Marian Dragulescu talked about their hopes and goals and Romania’s medal chances.

Head coach Dan Grecu has high hopes

"First of all, I expect good performances from our guys and for them to do their job. Then, the place where we’ll finish also depends on the other teams’ performances because, theoretically, we’re ranked fourth in Europe after the last World Championships. “
When it came to the competition format, Grecu emphasized the potential for mistakes. “Every mistake counts, since there are only three routines on each event, but I really hope our team can improve its position from two years ago [when they won team silver]. I must admit I am extremely nervous, but the boys look good in practice. Dragulescu, for example, recovered well from his injury and performed his vaults very well. Besides, everyone looked good in podium practice and seemed to be feeling just fine. We didn’t have any problems whatsoever.”

Marius Urzica: “ I want to win gold on pommel horse”

AM: What’s it going to be Marius, are you going to compete at your own risk or not?
MU: It’s not about competing at my own risk, because I underwent the same physical as everyone else at the Sports Medicine Center and I was cleared to compete, without any problems.
AM: Still, how do you explain the fact that you missing these championships was considered a strong possibility for a few days?
MU: I think it was a way to force the other [team members] to keep training and make progress. Under no circumstances did we seriously talk about me not coming here. It was more of a case of hiding the truth from the others to motivate them.
AM: You are considered the pommel horse master here in Patras. Do you plan on proving you are capable of turning in good performances on the other events, as well?
MU: It’s true that I want to win the gold medal on pommel horse, but without giving the impression that I’m making excuses for myself, I’m not a robot. The competition is exactly that, everyone gets nervous and, like everywhere else, there are other competitors. Also, I am thinking about our team a lot, because we have a very good team and, if we won’t make mistakes, we have every chance of finishing on the podium, without naming the color of the medal.
AM: You know the other guys well, maybe because you are their leader in terms of age. What do you think about their chances of medalling?
MU: Talking about them individually, I can tell you Marian Dragulescu, for example, has a great chance [of medalling] on floor and vault; Ioan Suciu can always qualify for the finals on floor and pommel horse, while Potra, the only one who will compete all-around, has a very good chance of being on the podium. He also has a good routine on rings and he can make the final on that event and, why not, maybe even medal. Constantin Covaci, a new name on our team, was brought in to strengthen our team on rings, and he has a very good chance of making it to the final.

Marian Dragulescu: "My back still hurts, but I should be able to compete "

AM: How do you feel, from a medical standpoint, a couple of days before the start of these European Championships?
MD: My back still hurts, but I can do flips and that counts for a lot. I’m in pain, but it’s not so bad that I can’t compete, like it was in January, when I couldn’t bend [my back].
AM: What did the doctors say, are you ready to compete?
MD: What matters is how I feel. If I feel well, it means everything is well. In any case, the doctors said this isn’t wasn't that big a problem from the very beginning, but I couldn’t really move. I took a break and it’s better now, even if I’m not in my best shape.
AM: You came to Patras as a two-time World Champion. Do you plan to leave here with two gold medals, or do you want more?
MD: I don’t know what else I could want, but I want to make the two event finals, on vault and floor. I’m not sure I can win, because I didn’t get a chance to train too much due to my injuries. For example, I only started training the vaults I’ll do at Europeans one week ago.
AM: What do you think about Romania’s team?
MD: If we can stay on, we have a very good chance of finishing in the top three. Potra is the only one who will compete all-around, but he has a good chance [to do well]. He has a 10.0 SV on almost all the events –a plus for him- and they are secure routines because he doesn’t go for any big time skills. And, if he won’t have any falls, he’s the new European Champion.
Prophetic words out of Dragulescu, whose assessment of Potra’s all-around chances proved to be spot on during the competition.

In other related news, it is interesting to note four other men’s team have Romanian coaches. Nicusor Pascu leads the Swiss men’s team, Marian Rizan is one of the coaches for team Denmark, same position as Andrei Pop fills on the Finnish team. Lastly, the Norwegian juniors are coached by Octavian Ionasiu.

Back to Articles Page