Andreea Rãducan Interview

Original article was published on November 22nd in Gazeta Sporturilor

“Andreea Rãducan belongs to the past.” The harsh, but realistic statement was made by RGF President Nicolae Vieru after the Individual Apparatus Worlds semifinals. Rãducan fell during her routine, failed to make tot he final round, and left the arena with tears in her eyes. Coach Mariana Bitang was in a more charitable disposition, saying “what’s done is done. Beam is the same event for everyone, not just for Romania ['s team]. My only regret is that Andreea would end the competition this way. I think she deserved to at least make it to the final, but that’s life. If she would consider competing in the World Cup as an opportunity to redeem herself and she would have the strength to prove she’s different [than the gymnast who fell], she’ll probably be in Stuttgart, too. But going to the World Cup and falling again would be too much.”
After she realized she missed the final, Raducan left straight for the training hall, where the only thing she could tell the media was “what could I say now?

Later on, Andreea Rãducan agreed to talk to Gazeta Sporturilor about her mistake on beam and her future plans.

GS: Do you regret coming to these World Championships?
AR: I don’t have any reasons to regret it. It would have been better if things would have ended differently. That’s life, both good and bad [things]. I’m sorry it happened just now.
GS: What happened during your routine?
AR: A fraction of a second lapse in concentration cost me dearly.
GS: Do you feel the judges took off more than they should for execution during the qualifying competition?
AR: I got the impression my score was lower than I was expecting on the first day, but that wasn’t necessarily a big problem, because I was in the top 16.
GS: If you would have made it to the final, were you thinking about a gold medal?
AR: Beam is a very difficult event and your nerves need to hold up above all else. The medal I would have won wasn’t all that important. But I think all comments are useless now.
GS: Speaking of your nerves, how are you doing after this unsuccessful outing?
AR: I calmed down. I was fairly upset right after I left the gym, but I got over it now.
GS: Will you compete in the World Cup in Stuttgart?
AR: I don’t know yet. I’ll decide later on, after the other gymnasts will finish competing.
GS: Might it be a chance to avenge this failure in Debrecen?
AR: I competed fairly well at the events before Worlds. I would like to redeem myself on the World Cup.
GS: What feeling to you take away now that you’re leaving the world of gymnastics?
AR: I don’t think you can talk about leaving per se. I’ll still be alongside the girls [teammates] and the sport. I am satisfied with everything I’ve done. I don’t regret doing gymnastics, because I had a lot to learn from the sport, but life goes on and you need to know what to do in any given situation.
GS: What will do from now on?
AR: I’ll go to Timisoara because I’m a first year student there. During the four years I’ll be there as a student I’ll have enough time to think about to do later on.
GS: Are you thinking about a coaching career?
AR: I’m in no hurry to take that step right now, but you never know.
GS: Are you thinking about a retirement ceremony?
AR: Obviously, I’d like that, but that’s not just for me to decide, but for the Farul Constanta club.
GS: Do you feel you went out by the back door?
AR: You’ll never be able to please everybody. Opinions are divided. Everyone has the right to comment as they see fit. It’s their opinion and I respect that, regardless of it being good or bad.
GS: Is there anything in particular you wish you would have done while you were a gymnast?
AR: I really don’t have any regrets. I went to a lot of competitions, where I was very successful. I proved to myself first and foremost that I can get myself together in situations that are even more difficult than the one I’m in now. If I would have made the final and then made a mistake, I really would have gone insane.
GS: What are your feelings going back to Deva?
AR: I have some pleasant memories and some less than pleasant. The important thing is I’ll go back to Deva to see my teammates and coaches whenever I have time. I would like that a lot.
GS: Do you think of yourself as an accomplished athlete?
AR: I think I’m a person who’s worked extremely hard to get the results I have right now.

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