"More medals to come"

Assistant coach Mariana Bitang , followed by Andreea Isărescu, Loredana Boboc, Claudia Presăcan & Andreea Ulmeanu, left right after the competition ended to return to the Olympic village. The medalists stayed behind to take their drug tests. When the bus came, the girls got on, then started yelling "Come on, Mrs. Mariana, it's leaving (without you)!" The coach did find the time to describe the competition for ProSport before hopping on the bus.

ProSport: How did you feel when you realized there's nothing that can happen to take away the 3 medals from us?
Mariana Bitang: It was unbelievable. My legs are shaking even now. But we (coaches) have to be strong, we can't show we're nervous because our nervousness will automatically affect the gymnasts. They want to see us calm;we have to inspire confidence.
PS: What was our gymnasts' strong point tonight?
MB: Same one as in the team competition --nerves of steel. Our opponents crumbled under pressure, but not our gymnasts. They were prepared to face the hardships of competition. They didn't make any mistakes, and that's what brought them medals.
PS: Did you expect such a result?
MB: Did I expect it? I wanted it, yes, but at the same time it seemed like a dream too good to come true. The most important things is that our gymnasts had a strong performance, because the judges were very strict with us. Almost every time, they held back a little on our scores, even if it was just a little bit. This was especially obvious on bars, but that's an old story. (what is she talking about????)
PS: Were you afraid?
MB: A little bit. After our team gold, Simona & Maria didn't get any sleep because they were so happy, and they were nervous about the upcoming AA. It's normal, that was a great win for us, and we couldn't tell them anything. They know every event is important, and that was evidenced in their performance today (AA comp).
PS: What will EFs bring us?
MB: It's impossible not to win more medals. The world knows what the Romanians can do now.

Nadia Comăneci & her husband, Bart Conner, watched yesterday's AA competition, nervously waiting to see the results. Before the last rotation, Bart told Nadia that "There might be a surprise. All three of them could medal." Turns out he was right.


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