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Dominique Moceanu
Dominique Helena Moceanu (/moʊˈtʃiːɑːnuː/, moh-CHEE-ah-noo; Romanian: [moˈtʃe̯anu]; born September 30, 1981) is an American former artistic gymnast. She was a member of the gold medal-winning United States women's gymnastics team, the "Magnificent Seven", at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She won two medals at the 1995 World Championships and the all-around title at the 1998 Goodwill Games.
Moceanu trained under Marta and Béla Károlyi, and later Luminița Miscenco and Mary Lee Tracy. She earned her first national team berth at age 10 and represented the United States in various international competitions at the junior level. She was the all-around silver medalist at the 1992 Junior Pan American Championships and the 1994 junior national all-around champion. In 1995, at the age of 13, she became the youngest gymnast to win the senior all-around title at the U.S. Championships. She was the youngest member of both the 1995 World Championships and the 1996 Olympic teams.
Moceanu's last major success in gymnastics was at the 1998 Goodwill Games, where she became the first American to win the all-around gold medal. Family problems, coaching changes, and injuries derailed her efforts to make the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and she retired from the sport in 2000. Since then, she has worked as a coach, studied business management, and written a memoir, Off Balance.
Moceanu was born in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on September 30, 1981, to Romanian Americans Dumitru Moceanu (1954–2008) and Camelia Moceanu (née Staicu; b. 1961). Both of her parents were gymnasts in Romania. Both of her parents were ethnic Aromanians, and Dominique speaks the Aromanian language fluently. Her parents emigrated from Romania to the United States in 1980. She has two younger siblings, Jennifer Bricker (born 1987), who was born without legs and adopted shortly after birth by Gerald and Sharon Bricker; and Christina Moceanu Chapman (born 1989). She began training as a gymnast at the age of three in Illinois, and at the age of 10, the family relocated to Houston, Texas, in order for her to train with Béla Károlyi and Márta Károlyi.
Less than a year after beginning to train with the Károlyis, Moceanu finished fifth in the all-around at the 1992 U.S. Championships. She was then selected for the junior national team at 10 years old. She won five medals, four gold and one silver, at the 1992 Junior Pan American Games as the youngest competitor of the event. She finished fourth in the floor exercise final at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival after the crowd booed her score, leading the judges to increase it from 9.600 to 9.650. She became the junior national all-around champion in 1994.
In 1995, Moceanu became the youngest gymnast ever to win the all-around title at the U.S. Championships at the age of 13. She was also the youngest member of the U.S. team at the 1995 World Championships, helping the team win the bronze medal. She finished fifth in the all-around and was the highest-placing American. She won a silver medal in the balance beam final, tying with Ukraine's Lilia Podkopayeva with a score of 9.837.
Moceanu's national and international successes, combined with her bubbly attitude, earned her attention and a wide fan base both in and out of the gymnastics community in the lead up to the 1996 Summer Olympics. Before the Olympics, she was featured in Vanity Fair, and she wrote an autobiography, Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion, with Steve Woodward. The book reached number seven on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Moceanu was expected to be a major medal contender at the 1996 Summer Olympics, held in Atlanta, Georgia. However, after the 1996 U.S. Championships, where she placed third in the all-around, she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her right tibia. Her injury forced her to sit out the Olympic Trials, but she was petitioned onto the team on the strength of her U.S. Championship scores.
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Dominique Moceanu
Dominique Helena Moceanu (/moʊˈtʃiːɑːnuː/, moh-CHEE-ah-noo; Romanian: [moˈtʃe̯anu]; born September 30, 1981) is an American former artistic gymnast. She was a member of the gold medal-winning United States women's gymnastics team, the "Magnificent Seven", at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She won two medals at the 1995 World Championships and the all-around title at the 1998 Goodwill Games.
Moceanu trained under Marta and Béla Károlyi, and later Luminița Miscenco and Mary Lee Tracy. She earned her first national team berth at age 10 and represented the United States in various international competitions at the junior level. She was the all-around silver medalist at the 1992 Junior Pan American Championships and the 1994 junior national all-around champion. In 1995, at the age of 13, she became the youngest gymnast to win the senior all-around title at the U.S. Championships. She was the youngest member of both the 1995 World Championships and the 1996 Olympic teams.
Moceanu's last major success in gymnastics was at the 1998 Goodwill Games, where she became the first American to win the all-around gold medal. Family problems, coaching changes, and injuries derailed her efforts to make the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and she retired from the sport in 2000. Since then, she has worked as a coach, studied business management, and written a memoir, Off Balance.
Moceanu was born in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on September 30, 1981, to Romanian Americans Dumitru Moceanu (1954–2008) and Camelia Moceanu (née Staicu; b. 1961). Both of her parents were gymnasts in Romania. Both of her parents were ethnic Aromanians, and Dominique speaks the Aromanian language fluently. Her parents emigrated from Romania to the United States in 1980. She has two younger siblings, Jennifer Bricker (born 1987), who was born without legs and adopted shortly after birth by Gerald and Sharon Bricker; and Christina Moceanu Chapman (born 1989). She began training as a gymnast at the age of three in Illinois, and at the age of 10, the family relocated to Houston, Texas, in order for her to train with Béla Károlyi and Márta Károlyi.
Less than a year after beginning to train with the Károlyis, Moceanu finished fifth in the all-around at the 1992 U.S. Championships. She was then selected for the junior national team at 10 years old. She won five medals, four gold and one silver, at the 1992 Junior Pan American Games as the youngest competitor of the event. She finished fourth in the floor exercise final at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival after the crowd booed her score, leading the judges to increase it from 9.600 to 9.650. She became the junior national all-around champion in 1994.
In 1995, Moceanu became the youngest gymnast ever to win the all-around title at the U.S. Championships at the age of 13. She was also the youngest member of the U.S. team at the 1995 World Championships, helping the team win the bronze medal. She finished fifth in the all-around and was the highest-placing American. She won a silver medal in the balance beam final, tying with Ukraine's Lilia Podkopayeva with a score of 9.837.
Moceanu's national and international successes, combined with her bubbly attitude, earned her attention and a wide fan base both in and out of the gymnastics community in the lead up to the 1996 Summer Olympics. Before the Olympics, she was featured in Vanity Fair, and she wrote an autobiography, Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion, with Steve Woodward. The book reached number seven on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Moceanu was expected to be a major medal contender at the 1996 Summer Olympics, held in Atlanta, Georgia. However, after the 1996 U.S. Championships, where she placed third in the all-around, she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her right tibia. Her injury forced her to sit out the Olympic Trials, but she was petitioned onto the team on the strength of her U.S. Championship scores.
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