Andreea Munteanu wins the all-around title at Nationals

Original article was published on July 6th ProSport

When she was only a toddler Andreea Munteanu said “if I won’t do gymnastics, I won’t do anything else!” As of Friday night, she is the new Romanian all-around champion.

At 15 years old, Constanta native Andreea Munteanu weighs only 30 kilograms and is only 1.45 meters tall [4’9’’ & 66 lbs]. Despite her frail frame, the National team member managed to win against other gymnasts credited with a much better chance. With a total of 37.638 points, Andreea won the all-around title Friday night in Bacau. In the third rotation, the gymnast from Dobrogea province was graceful and self-assured on floor expercise, managing to impress the judging panel. The high score reflected the quality of the routine –9.525. In the pervious rotation, the “grain of a girl”, as the coaches at Deva call her, scored a 9.512 on beam. A very good score, especially for a gymnast without a lot of experience.

Andreea’s story started nine years ago, when her parents brought her to the Constanta gym. “I liked the sport since I was little. I saw the girls on television and I told my mother that if I don’t do gymnastics, I don’t want to do anything. When she saw me flipping around the house, my mother relented,” said the new champion, When she got to the gym, she was a bit baffled at first. “I didn’t understand how you could stay on the beam so easily. I started training and I realized it wasn’t all that hard,” continued the talkative gymnast. She explained that if she had the time, she would tell stories all day long. "I don’t like being quiet."
Whenever she’s not busy with training or school, she listens to music –all kinds. Unlike most of her teammates, Andreea doesn’t like dolls [stuffed animals?]. “I prefer reading or doing something useful,” she added, sounding very mature.

Andreea Munteanu
Birthday: September 20th, 1988
Hometown: Constanta
Stared gymnastics: CSS Farul Constanta, at the age of 6
Member of the National team since August 2002
She’s a 9th grade student in Deva
Hobbies: reading

Like any other gymnast who’s just starting her career, Andreea has a role model, namely former champion Simona Amînar. "I know all her results. I would like to equal her, at least in terms of performances,” said Andreea who almost refuses to leave Simona’s side any time she has a chance to meet her.

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