Belu Weighs in on Early Romanian Retirements

Head coach Octavian Belu expressed concern for the current generation of Romanian gymnasts that seem to retire earlier than ever before. “I think some sort of psychoanalysis should be performed in order to determine why previous generations of gymnasts could compete for 6, or 8 years at the highest level, while gymnasts like Andreea Răducan cannot handle competing at a high level for 4 years,” he said in an interview. He compared that to the current Russian [and former Soviet] team. “Khorkina is still competing at age 23. I won’t even talk about Chushovitina, who competed very successfully in Ghent at age 26, after giving birth to a baby boy. The Russians have demonstrated an amazing longevity in the sport, while only 4 gymnasts from Romania have ever competed in two Olympic Games: Nadia Comăneci, Lavinia Milosovici, Gina Gogean and Simona Amânar,” explained Belu. He also added that “until now, most of our gymnasts retired around age 21. Now, if Andreea decides to retire, retirement age would drop down to 18,or even 19, which is obviously not a good thing.” Much like assistant coach Mariana Bitang, Belu worries about the timing of Raducan’s decision to retire. “None of our past champions decided to retire a month and a half before a major event.”

Octavian Belu added Raducan is waiting for ROC President Ion Tiriac to return home [from the Winter Olympics] and will talk to him about the possibility of retirement. “She will make her final decision, based on the results of that discussion.” Tiriac will return from Salt Lake City next week. On the other hand, Răducan doesn’t feel too confident about Tiriac’s powers of persuasion. “He’s not the one who trains in the gym. I am. What could he do if I don’t feel capable of training properly?” Tiriac was very supportive of Raducan during the 200 Olympics drug scandal, after she was stripped of her medal following a positive test for the banned substance pseudo-ephedrine. He was with her when they went to the IOC medical commission, and the Sport Court of Appeals. Later on, he organized a press conference for Andreea. He even brought Andreea’s case to the Supreme Court in Switzerland. He even resigned as ROC President because he “cannot suspend this girl [for testing positive]. She did nothing wrong.” Tiriac’s liking for Raducan has been well-known ever since. That’s why everyone‘s counting on him to convince Raducan to come back.

Andreea Răducan’s parents refused to comment their daughter’s decision. They said they always encouraged her to compete. They also advised her not to retire this time around. “My family never questioned my decision and they won’t do it this time, either. In any case, I want my decision to be respected, regardless of what that decision might be,” said Raducan.

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