“This is the beginning of the end”, opines Belu

Andreea Răducan was brought to her knees during last week-end’s Li Ning Cup by gymnasts from the host country, and not just by them. Răducan was missing the spark she had a few months ago, when she could bring audiences to their feet. Looking sluggish and somewhat lost during her routines, the current leader of the Romanian team was unable to live up to her previous credentials, which is what should have happened.

The Chinese team was much improved, especially on floor and vault –traditionally their weak events- and set themselves up as serious contenders for future World Championships and the Olympic Games. “This event was a failure for Andreea! She should be well aware that this competition in China does not represent the end of the world, but it is a very serious warning. We’re already getting ready for Worlds in Hungary. Andreea will have to compete in all the international events that will take place from now until Worlds,” added Octavian Belu, who went to China with Răducan.

The Deva technician believes Andreea needs to change her training regime completely in order to reach her best form, which is what brought her recognition as a great gymnast. “Of course I always say I’m not satisfied as a coach. Now you can see why we didn’t field a team at Europeans. Andreea is the only one who can understand she has a responsibility to change something. She does have a name to defend, a reputation, and she cannot show up to competitions just to be a sparring-partner", added Belu. The two left for Deva the same afternoon their flight arrived, even though they were yet to get their bags at the Otopeni International Airport.

"I need to lose more weight"

GS: Andreea, do think this gala-style competition in China was a failure?
AR: It’s very hard for me to decide that. The Chinese had a huge advantage because they were competing at home.
GS: Were you expecting better results?
AR: I wasn’t in the best shape. I had some health problems that carried a lot of weight. My ankle is swollen after my floor routine. I don’t know how serious it is because I haven’t been to the doctor yet.
GS: So you still have problems with your weight?
AR: Yes, it’s true that I need to work on this, but also on my physical preparation because I still need to loose a few pounds. I hope I can get back to my top form before Worlds in Hungary, though.

Two key members of the Romanian men’s team trained by Dan Grecu also competed in China. Marius Urzică and Marian Drăgulescu managed to win two silver medals, with Drăgulescu placing second on floor and Urzică taking silver on pommel horse. Drăgulescu also placed fourth in the vault final, while Urzică finished in the same position in the parallel bars final. He was 8th on high bar. “I’m satisfied with these results. I think we’re on track with our preparation for Worlds in Hungary,” said men’s head coach Dan Grecu.

Another reason offered for the lack of gold medals was the fact that the team couldn’t adapt to the new time zone fast enough. The two gymnasts were forced to compete in Beijing just two days after they arrived in China. Urzică told coach Grecu he couldn’t perform his pommel horse routine the way he usually does, and that prevented him from doing a clean routine on his favorite apparatus. “What’s important is that they both managed to debut their new skills, this time around in an official competition,” added Grecu.

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