Event finals preview

What do gymnasts do after sweeping the all-around medals? Train. Even the ones who didn't compete until now, and the ones who won't compete in the event finals. The bus drops them off in front of Regents Park, a couple of minutes late due to traffic. The gymnasts are in a good mood. The sweet taste of victory doesn't wear off in just one night. They can't forget the team gold medal is already packed away. Andreea Răducan added another gold medal in the all-around, while Simona Amânar & Maria Olaru added a silver and a bronze to their medal collection.

After entering the gym, everyone knows what they're supposed to do. Change into their warm-up clothes, and start the warming up on the floor mat. The floor gives a resounding thud, as the team jogs around the hall. "I had a premonition we'll get all the all-around medals", says Maria "and I even guessed the order we were going to finish in. I don't know where that came from, but that's how I felt." After a brief pause, it's on to the individual apparatus. Andreea Răducan asks Octavian Belu if she should start off on floor or on vault. Those are the events she qualified for. "I really wanted to be on the podium in the all-around, and I'm very happy I won the gold medal. But my job isn't done yet", explains the Olympic champion. Simona Amânar is also qualified for the same event finals, floor and beam. The team's leader in terms of age and performance, se believes the most important factor in Romania's wins (AA and team) was their consistency. "We have a chance to win 3 gold medals in the event finals, because we have the highest scores going in the finals, but I don't know if it would be right for us to win everything, or if the judges will allow us to do that."

Octavian Belu declares himself a very happy coach. "I was hoping we'd win one medal in the all-round, not three, even though in Atlanta all three of our gymnasts finished on the podium. Back then, we were missing a gold medal", he says. "We'll see what we can do from now on, because Simona & Claudia are retiring. They're 21, its perfectly normal. But we'll go back to Deva and start anew, just like we've always done." Until then, there are more medals to be won in Sydney.

two male gymnast are also going for the gold in Sunday's event finals. Marius Urzică is the favorite in the pommel horse finals, where he got the highest scores in the team event, a 9. 812 and a 9.787. Winning gold in Australia would fill a void in his medal collection, since he already has a World title from 1994, and two European gold medals (1994 and 2000). No matter what medal he'll win, Marius will dedicate it to his wife, who is expecting a baby any day now. He will also compete in the p bars finals on Monday, where his routine includes an Urzică, a skill that bears his name. Marian Drăgulescu will compete in the floor final, an event where he won Europeans this year, and he is a medal contender.

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