INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Defying her doctors, Dominique Moceanu has decided to risk
her secure status in gymnastics and try for another national championship.

Moceanu, the only member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic women's team still competing in
all events, has her gold medal, and last month became the first non-Russian to win the
all-around in the Goodwill Games.

And USA Gymnastics has applied no pressure for her to compete in the national
championships this week, which open Wednesday in Indianapolis.

But even though her doctors and coaches wish she wouldn't, given that she
hyper extended her left knee in practice Aug. 3, Moceanu has decided to compete
anyway.

``It's very risky,'' said Moceanu, whose knee was heavily wrapped before practice
Monday. ``But I have no choice. I need to compete. And I'm going to try.''

The top 20 scorers from preliminaries Thursday and finals Friday will be selected for
the national team, making them eligible to represent the United States in international
meets in the next year.

Putting injured athletes on the national team has precedent. Moceanu and Shannon
Miller were put on the '96 team even though they couldn't compete in the final Olympic
trials because of injuries.

Moceanu, now 16, became the youngest senior national champion ever at 13. She has
been on national teams since she was 10, and doesn't want to stop now.

``Because then, for the whole year until the next nationals, I won't have anywhere to
compete,'' she said. ``I won't have any right.''

Since the Atlanta Olympics, Moceanu has lost coach Bela Karolyi, who retired from
coaching elite gymnasts, and she has grown about six inches.

The 5-foot gymnast's skills declined so much that she made last year's world
championships team only because some of those who finished ahead of her in the
nationals were too young to go.

She was tired of the sport and thought she might quit.

``But then I was like, `What am I going to do?''' Moceanu said. ``This is my life. I've
done this all my life. And I can still do it. I'm still young.''

She credited her latest coach, Luminita Miscenco, for turning her life around.

Miscenco, 25, was on Romania's national team but had her career cut short by injury.
She began coaching Moceanu in January, restoring courage that the American
thought she had lost.

How dramatic was the change?

So much so that USA Gymnastics president Bob Colarossi, who hadn't seen Moceanu
since Atlanta, almost didn't recognize her during last month's Goodwill Games.

``She has grown into her body beautifully,'' Colarossi said.