Alexandra Marinescu '96 Olympics Compulsory Beam

[Lystaria]

Perhaps Amanar was a "harder worker" because she had to be. Possibly Amanar didn't have as much natural aptitude for gymnastics and had to compensate. Some people study hard and only get average grades while others excel with much less effort. Marinescu always looked a more natural gymnast than Amanar and it really wasn't fair to punish her for it. I know the rules allow it but it doesn't make it fair.

[Writeowl]

She had to have 3 operations on her back after she retired in 1997.

[Writeowl]

It turned out that she had a broken vertebrae in her spine and she was actually competing with it here. One of the reasons she was cut from the finals was because she was upset about the pain in her back. Belu didn't like that and she was cut partly for revenge.

[bik1050]

haha i love when the commentator said it was quiet the music came on!

[andro669]

I think it's a shame that Marinescu didn't compete in a later session because she could have scored over 9.700

[moopoo66]

@andro669 the only reason this poor girl didn't compete in the AA is just because she was a little upset about not wining team gold i mean COME ON anyone would be a tad upset but at least she won a medal. And octavian belu didn't like her "attitude" so they put amanar in, which he had NO RIGHT TO DO, i would of KILLED HIM for taking away MY OLYMPIC AA EXPERIENCE just because he was a bastard

[TuesdayPillow]

9.6 seems a bit low even after the sub-par performances of her teammates. I was thinking closer to a 9.75 would have been fair.

I think taking Marinescu out of the AA really messed her up for BB finals. I would have been quite upset as well knowing that I earned my way into AA finals but never got a chance to see all my hard work play itself out.

[faeryquene]

ITA. It is unconscionable that Belu did this twice to Marinescu-at the Olympics AND at Worlds. I can only imagine what that would do to a kid's self-esteem. Amanar I hope is at least aware of her good fortune in being in her coache's good graces-she was fortunate Belu was head coach to be sure. This routine compared to her teammates (and the hot mess of others like Dawes) should have indeed scored at least 9.70. There is no way Domi was less than .20 away from this routine.

[kakaroxox]

looks simple compared to the olympics now

[leighInSJ]

It looks "simple" because it is; it's the compulsories. Compulsories were more simple, basic skills that everyone had to do to show mastery. With the routines the same, the judges could better compare the gymnasts' abilities to do jumps, turns and tumbling. The optionals were harder. Unfortunately, they eliminated the compulsories. A lot of us long-time fans want them back, especially considering the lack of grace and elegance in the sport now.

[showjumperluvr4]

@leighInSJ i completely it seems as tho if u watch the 96 Olympics, u can see that they were much more artistic and there was more dance than tumbling, and modern day gymnastics seems like it lacks that now and that tumbling has taken over. i miss wen gymnastics was more dance and flexibility than tumbling :) btw i love love the dismount :)

[MargaretLeighh]

@leighInSJ I did gymnastics as a kid because I idolized the pre-2000 gymnasts. I was only born in 1996 but had seen videos and always wanted to match their grace and beauty. That's all lost today.

[angellily0330]

obviously this the cumpolsuries

[dapperckone]

Never given the respect..She's wonderful.

Flawless set.

[audie83]

Simona Amanar was Belu's pet. Amanar was from the Bucharest gym club. No way was Belu going to allow her to go on to AA over Amanar at Worlds or Olympics.

[tomsk14]

and also i imagine that Amanar was very quiet and shy and hard working whereas Marinescu was opinionated and different....Im reading her book right now, its shocking stuff....

[audie83]

Marinescu's personality should not have been a factor in keeping out of the AA at the 1996 Olympics, and 1997 Worlds in favor of Amanar. And judging by her gymnastics Marinescu not only worked just as hard as Belu's favorites-she actually could DANCE unlike Amanar, and Co.

[tomsk14]

Well I loved Amanar and it was certainly not her fault that she went through.

No personality should not have mattered, but reading by her book this was one of the least of the abuses that she and the other girls suffered at the hands of Belu and the coaches....

[audie83]

Don't get me wrong-I like Amanar too. I just don't think it was fair she was placed in an Olympic and Worlds AA over Marinescu-who was the more consistent of the two in the Team events. Just for myself I would never do that to a kid who in my eyes earned her way into an AA-by not falling in the Team event-as Amanar did twice.

[audie83]

And as to who was the more hardworking of the two-that is Belu's opinion of his own gymnast from Deva versus another coaches gymnast from the Bucharest Club. I think he just didn't like the fact of that another coaches athlete would be in the AA. He abused imo his opinion as the Team coach-he used his position to place all three of his own gymnasts in AA events. Well-at least Marinescu won the 1995-Pre-Olympic event at the Olympic gymnastics venue. That was one Belu could not manipulate.

[briaberger]

What's the book called? Is it in English?

[tomsk14]

Yeah Its called 'Secrets of a Gymnast' by Andrei Nourescu....

It even talks about this video and stuff....

[whipback]

What is it like? I haven't read it but, the little I have heard about it makes it sound fake.

[tomsk14]

It is very poorly written, its clearly been translated from Romanian and not checked by and English speaker, so the english is poor and it seems to leap from place to place.

I would not, however, doubt its legitimacy....It is totally genuine and well worth reading....I enjoyed it and it was eye opening...

[mka800]

I just finished reading it. Like tomsk14 said, it's pretty badly written because the translator was not great at English. It was written by a Romanian journalist, based on obviously the story Alex told him. It follows her throughout her career. She was mistreated, hit, slapped, abused, locked in a room with no food or water. At the Atlanta games, beam EF, when she fell twice, Belu called her a f***ing moron and told her to get out of the arena. It's a very good book, makes you love Alex.

[iloveyourstory]

is the book in english?

[GymFloozie]

Hi! Did you ever track that book down? Hope all is well.

[iloveyourstory]

Hey all is good..how are ya? I didn't find the book I wish i could.

[GymFloozie]

I am well. I was hoping you didn't run off to the Karoly Ranch to be the next Little Moceanu.

Go to your library with the title and author, and have them do an inter-library loan. There is only one copy in one U.S. library - in a college in New York. "The Secrets of a Gymnast" by Andrei Nourescu. If you get that one, we'll have both read the exact same copy! My hands will have touched what your hands are touching. (Watch me get thumbed down for that last comment.)

[crisloregym]

Amanar was from Constanta, Marinescu was from Bucharest