Ana Porgras
Encyclopedia
Ana Porgras is a Romania
n artistic gymnast. She won the uneven bars bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships
and the balance beam gold medal at the 2010 World Championships
in Rotterdam. Porgras is considered to be one of the most artistic gymnasts of her generation, reminiscent of the Eastern European gymnasts of the 1980s. She was awarded the Longines Prize of Elegance in 2011.
with coaches Agripina and Paul Gâlea. Later she joined the Romanian Junior National Team coached by Ramona Micu, Florin Cotuţiu and Daniel Nistor. Porgras had a successful junior career medaling at various international competitions. In 2007, she won the gold medal on balance beam, bronze with the team, and placed seventh all-around, fifth on vault and eighth on uneven bars at the prestigious Massilia Cup. She also won the gold medal on balance beam at the 2008 Junior European Championships
and placed ninth all-around and fourth with the team.
Unfortunately, towards the end of her junior career she needed knee surgery to repair a detached ligament.
. However, she had a promising senior debut at the 2009 World Championships
in London
. She qualified first on balance beam, second in the individual all-around, third on floor, and seventh on uneven bars. Falls from balance beam in the all-around and balance beam finals prevented her from winning medals in these events, placing seventh all-around and on balance beam. However, she did end her first World Championships experience with a bronze medal on the uneven bars (tied with USA's Rebecca Bross
). She also tied for fifth place with Bross on floor.
Later that year, Porgras had an excellent showing at the DTB Cup in Stuttgart by winning the gold medal on balance beam.
. She helped the team qualify in second place by competing on balance beam and uneven bars. Individually, she qualified first on beam and seventh on bars.Longines Timing 28th European Artistic Gymnastics Championships: List of qualifiers She helped her team win the bronze medal by earning the top mark of the day on beam (14.800) and by scoring 13.700 on uneven bars. During the team finals, Ana suffered an injury from her balance beam dismount, which forced her to withdraw from the beam and uneven bars finals. After her return to Romania, she was diagnosed with a crack in her right fibula. In September she made a successful comeback at the Ghent World Cup winning the gold medal on balance beam and a silver medal on uneven bars. One week later she defended her all-around title at the Romanian National Championships and also won gold on balance beam and bronze on floor.
In October she was selected in the national team for the 2010 World Championships
in Rotterdam
. Here she helped her team to place fourth in the team finals by performing on beam, floor and uneven bars. Individually, she placed fifth all around and on uneven bars, respectively, and won the gold medal on balance beam over Rebecca Bross
and defending champion Deng Linlin
. Porgras was the Romanian women's first world champion since Andreea Raducan
won beam and floor in 2001.
Porgras competed on two events only (beam and uneven bars) and failed to make the finals. However, in August 2001 she had a good showing at the Romanian national championships wining her third consecutive all-around national title. After a good performance at two friendly meets in Germany
and Great Britain
, Porgras was selected in the team for the 2011 World Championships
. In the qualification day she had a weak performance grabbing the beam on her switch ring and falling on her double layout dismount on uneven bars, failing to make the event finals. However, in the team finals competition she helped Romania place fourth by receiving the highest marks on beam (15.300) and uneven bars (14.066) among her team. Individually, she managed a good performance in the all-around final but, she only placed sixth due to small mistakes on floor and the small difficulty of her vault exercise.
in Bucharest
, she received a medal honoring her achievements at the 2009 World Championships
. She was awarded one of the two Longines Prizes of Elegance in 2011. The other 2011 Longines Prize was awarded to Kohei Uchimura
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n artistic gymnast. She won the uneven bars bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships
2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 41st World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at The O2 arena in London, United Kingdom, on 12 October to 18 October 2009. Similar to the World Championships in 2005, there were no team competitions...
and the balance beam gold medal at the 2010 World Championships
2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at the Ahoy Rotterdam indoor sporting arena in the Netherlands from 16 to 24 October 2010. In this year's championships, there was a total of 73 participating federations with 615 gymnasts...
in Rotterdam. Porgras is considered to be one of the most artistic gymnasts of her generation, reminiscent of the Eastern European gymnasts of the 1980s. She was awarded the Longines Prize of Elegance in 2011.
Early life and career
Ana Porgras began gymnastics in her native town GalaţiGalati
Galați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
with coaches Agripina and Paul Gâlea. Later she joined the Romanian Junior National Team coached by Ramona Micu, Florin Cotuţiu and Daniel Nistor. Porgras had a successful junior career medaling at various international competitions. In 2007, she won the gold medal on balance beam, bronze with the team, and placed seventh all-around, fifth on vault and eighth on uneven bars at the prestigious Massilia Cup. She also won the gold medal on balance beam at the 2008 Junior European Championships
2008 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships
2008 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships may refer to:* 2008 European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships held from 8 to 11 May in Lausanne* 2008 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships held from 3 to 6 April in Clermont-Ferrand...
and placed ninth all-around and fourth with the team.
Unfortunately, towards the end of her junior career she needed knee surgery to repair a detached ligament.
2009
Not yet fully recovered after knee surgery, Porgras missed the 2009 European Championships2009 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 3rd Individual European Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Milan, Italy, on 29 March to 5 April 2009.- Medal winners :-Individual all-around:- Floor :- Pommel horse :- Rings :- Vault :- Parallel bars :- Horizontal bar :...
. However, she had a promising senior debut at the 2009 World Championships
2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 41st World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at The O2 arena in London, United Kingdom, on 12 October to 18 October 2009. Similar to the World Championships in 2005, there were no team competitions...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She qualified first on balance beam, second in the individual all-around, third on floor, and seventh on uneven bars. Falls from balance beam in the all-around and balance beam finals prevented her from winning medals in these events, placing seventh all-around and on balance beam. However, she did end her first World Championships experience with a bronze medal on the uneven bars (tied with USA's Rebecca Bross
Rebecca Bross
Rebecca Bross is an American artistic gymnast. She won the all-around and three events at the junior national championships in 2007. At the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil, Bross won a team gold, individual all-around second, and the first place in floor exercise. She was a member of the U.S...
). She also tied for fifth place with Bross on floor.
Later that year, Porgras had an excellent showing at the DTB Cup in Stuttgart by winning the gold medal on balance beam.
2010
Still struggling with injuries, Ana was a member of the team at the 2010 European Championships2010 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 28th European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships held from 28 April to 2 May 2010 in Birmingham.- Timetable :- Medal Winners :- Team :- Vault :- Uneven Bars :- Balance Beam :- Floor :- All-Around :- Vault :- Uneven Bars :...
. She helped the team qualify in second place by competing on balance beam and uneven bars. Individually, she qualified first on beam and seventh on bars.Longines Timing 28th European Artistic Gymnastics Championships: List of qualifiers She helped her team win the bronze medal by earning the top mark of the day on beam (14.800) and by scoring 13.700 on uneven bars. During the team finals, Ana suffered an injury from her balance beam dismount, which forced her to withdraw from the beam and uneven bars finals. After her return to Romania, she was diagnosed with a crack in her right fibula. In September she made a successful comeback at the Ghent World Cup winning the gold medal on balance beam and a silver medal on uneven bars. One week later she defended her all-around title at the Romanian National Championships and also won gold on balance beam and bronze on floor.
In October she was selected in the national team for the 2010 World Championships
2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at the Ahoy Rotterdam indoor sporting arena in the Netherlands from 16 to 24 October 2010. In this year's championships, there was a total of 73 participating federations with 615 gymnasts...
in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. Here she helped her team to place fourth in the team finals by performing on beam, floor and uneven bars. Individually, she placed fifth all around and on uneven bars, respectively, and won the gold medal on balance beam over Rebecca Bross
Rebecca Bross
Rebecca Bross is an American artistic gymnast. She won the all-around and three events at the junior national championships in 2007. At the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil, Bross won a team gold, individual all-around second, and the first place in floor exercise. She was a member of the U.S...
and defending champion Deng Linlin
Deng Linlin
Deng Linlin is a Chinese gymnast. She was a member of the Chinese team that won the team gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, People's Republic of China, and is a three-time World Cup gold medalist...
. Porgras was the Romanian women's first world champion since Andreea Raducan
Andreea Raducan
Andreea Mădălina Răducan is a retired gymnast from Bârlad, Romania.Răducan began competing in gymnastics at a young age and was training at the Romanian junior national facility by the age of 12½. As one of the standout gymnasts of the Romanian team in the late 1990s, Răducan was known for both...
won beam and floor in 2001.
2011
In April, at the 2011 European Championships2011 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 4th Individual European Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held in Berlin, Germany from the 4th April 2011 until the 10th April 2011. The event was held at the Max-Schmeling-Halle...
Porgras competed on two events only (beam and uneven bars) and failed to make the finals. However, in August 2001 she had a good showing at the Romanian national championships wining her third consecutive all-around national title. After a good performance at two friendly meets in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Porgras was selected in the team for the 2011 World Championships
2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 7–16, 2011 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.Due to uncertainty over the nuclear situation following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the International Federation of Gymnastics revealed it was...
. In the qualification day she had a weak performance grabbing the beam on her switch ring and falling on her double layout dismount on uneven bars, failing to make the event finals. However, in the team finals competition she helped Romania place fourth by receiving the highest marks on beam (15.300) and uneven bars (14.066) among her team. Individually, she managed a good performance in the all-around final but, she only placed sixth due to small mistakes on floor and the small difficulty of her vault exercise.
Awards
In October 2009, during a ceremony at the Presidential Cotroceni PalaceCotroceni Palace
Cotroceni Palace is a palace in Bucharest which is the residence of the President of Romania, located at Bulevardul Geniului, nr. 1.On Cotroceni Hill, in 1679, Şerban Cantacuzino built a monastery...
in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, she received a medal honoring her achievements at the 2009 World Championships
2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 41st World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at The O2 arena in London, United Kingdom, on 12 October to 18 October 2009. Similar to the World Championships in 2005, there were no team competitions...
. She was awarded one of the two Longines Prizes of Elegance in 2011. The other 2011 Longines Prize was awarded to Kohei Uchimura
Kohei Uchimura
Kōhei Uchimura is a Japanese artistic gymnast. He is a two-time Olympic silver medalist and a nine-time World medalist . He is famous for winning three consecutive world all around titles and for delivering difficult and accurately executed routines...