Romania’s women’s gymnastics teen titans captured their second consecutive Olympic team gold medal here Tuesday, outdueling world champion United States while world and Olympic medalists China crashed out. Romania won with 114.283 points to 113.584 for the US team and 113.235 for bronze medalist Russia.
Romania’s Catalina Ponor, the top balance beam and floor exercise finalist, scored a 9.750 in the final floor exercise routine, prancing with pride and flipping with flair to win Olympic gold on her 17th birthday.
Each nation sent three gymnasts onto each apparatus with all three scoring. Unlike past years where a low score was dropped, every score counted so there was no margin for error.
Entering the decisive floor exercise routines, Romania led the Americans by .124 points and were able to stretch the margin on solid performances by all-around contenders Daniela Sofronie, 16, and Oana Ban, 18, plus Ponor. Romania nudged ahead of the US team by .05 of a point after the opening vault rotation with Monica Rosu’s 9.625 the best award and Cuban-born American Annia Hatch, denied a 1996 Games spot by he native land, second at 9.562.
Next came the uneven bars, where the Americans edged in front 56.911-56.573 thanks to Kupets, whose 9.662 was the top score, edging a 9.65 by Russian diva Svetlana Khorkina in her signature event.
Romania reclaimed the lead on balance beam, with Ponor’s 9.762 setting the pace and Alexandra Ermia second at 9.687. That set the stage for the dramatic finish. The defeat left the US women still trying to prove they can capture gold away from home soil, having tasted Olympic gold only in Los Angeles in 1984 and Atlanta in 1996 and winning last year’s World Championships at Anaheim.
The Romanian girls are the latest generation of a dynasty that has captured seven world titles and launched some of the sport’s legends over the past three decades.
