"The happiest moment of my life"

Luminita Paul: This is the first team you coached your team to an Olympic title. How do you feel about it?
Octavian Belu: It's a unique feeling. I could say this is the happiest moment of my life. Nothing can beat winning the Millennium Olympic. 1000 years from now, I'll be too old to coach a team and win a medal with them (laughs).
LP: How did you spend the last few minutes of the competition/
OB: Stressing out. I knew every step count cost us the title.
LP: Did you expect our team to win?
OB: I always hoped and wished it would happen. It's an important win for us because we come from a small country, who needs this type of performance and this type of heroes (role models). Now, the gymnasts have a chance to be shown on Tv all over the world. It's worth it!
LP: What did you think about your opponents?
OB: I have a lot of respect for the Chinese & the Russian teams, and not just for them, but for all the other teams who made team finals. They wanted to win, too, but I guess God was on our side. The difference was small, only two tenths of a point, and maybe we got lucky, but out turn (to win Olympic gold) had to come.
LP: What did you think about the judging?
OB: Now that we are Olympic champions, we can't say anything bad about it. Honestly, I hope the judges will keep being just as objective as they've been so far during the AA and EF.
LP: What was our team's strong point?
OB: In a competition that was so strange, where we started off on the wrong foot, but got stronger from event to event, I think it was our consistency, the fact that we didn't miss any routines.

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