Claudia Presecan
Encyclopedia
Claudia Maria Presăcan, (born December 28, 1979 in Sibiu
) is a world-class Romania
n artistic gymnast who competed at the senior international level between 1994 and 2000. She was a three-time team gold medalist at the World Championships with the Romanian team and was also a member of the gold medal-winning Romanian squad at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney
.
and began gymnastics when she was 4½ years old. She moved to the junior Romanian national training center in Bucharest
in 1993 and began competing internationally the same year, placing third overall and winning two silver medals at the Top Gym junior tournament in Charleroi
, Belgium
. In 1994 she participated in the Junior European Championships, where she won a gold medal on floor exercise.
with the Romanian team and contributing to their gold medal performance. She was also a member of the first-place Romanian team the following year at the 1995 World Championships
in Sabae. However, she missed the 1996 Olympics
due to a broken hand
.
Presecan returned to competition in 1997, winning her third World Championships medal with the Romanian team at that year's World Championships in Lausanne. Injuries kept her from the 1999 team, but she recovered in time to earn a place on the Romanian squad at the 2000 Olympics. She contributed to the team's gold medal and qualified for the balance beam event final, where she placed fourth, just out of the medals.
After the conclusion of the Games, it was revealed that Presecan had competed with a severe case of anemia
. Despite having a hemoglobin
level of 6.3, she had been cleared to compete by team physician Ioachim Oana.
, serving as a coxswain
for the Romanian rowing team at the 2001 University Games.
In 2002, Presecan, along with former teammates Corina Ungureanu
and Lavinia Miloşovici
, sparked controversy by posing naked in photographs for a Japan
ese photobook
, LCC Gold ISBN 4872791185, and performing gymnastics routines topless for the Japanese DVD
s Gold Bird and Euro Angels. A number of photographs from the photobook and DVDs were subsequently published in the Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai
, and an edited version of the DVDs entitled 3 Gold Girls was released in Germany
in 2004. Because the gymnasts had posed for some of the photographs and footage wearing their official Romanian team leotards
, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation banned them from coaching and judging in the country for five years, and the Japanese Junior Gymnastic Club Federation contemplated banning Romanian gymnasts from a major international junior competition.
Presecan is currently working as a coach on the Isle of Man
.
1994 World Team Championships: 1st team
1995 World Championships: 1st team
1997 International Team Championships: 1st team
1997 Romanian National Championships: 1st AA, 1st UB, 3rd BB, 2nd FX
1997 World Championships: 1st team, 8th AA, 5th UB, 6th FX
1998 Women's Artistic Championships: 2nd team
1998 International Team Championships: 2nd team
1998 European Championships: 1st Team, 3rd AA, 3rd UB
1998 Romanian National Championships: 1st BB
1999 International Team Championships: 1st team
2000 Romanian National Championships: 5th AA, 2nd BB
2000 Olympic Games: 1st T, 4th BB
Key: AA: all-around; BB: balance beam; FX: floor exercise; UB: uneven bars; VT: vault
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
) is a world-class Romania
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 who competed at the senior international level between 1994 and 2000. She was a three-time team gold medalist at the World Championships with the Romanian team and was also a member of the gold medal-winning Romanian squad at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Early career
Presecan was born in SibiuSibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
and began gymnastics when she was 4½ years old. She moved to the junior Romanian national training center 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....
in 1993 and began competing internationally the same year, placing third overall and winning two silver medals at the Top Gym junior tournament in Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. In 1994 she participated in the Junior European Championships, where she won a gold medal on floor exercise.
Senior career
Presecan moved into senior competition later in 1994, participating in the 1994 Team World Championships1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships (Team)
The 1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Team Championships were held in Dortmund, Germany from 15–20 November 1994.Only the team event was contested at this meet. The individual events and all-around were contested at another World Championships in Brisbane, Australia in April 1994. 1994 was the only...
with the Romanian team and contributing to their gold medal performance. She was also a member of the first-place Romanian team the following year at the 1995 World Championships
1995 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 30th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held at Sun Dome Fukui in Sabae, Japan in 1995.- All-round :NB: Team rosters are incomplete.- Apparatus :- All-around :- Vault :- Uneven Bars :- Balance Beam :- Floor Exercise:...
in Sabae. However, she missed the 1996 Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
due to a broken hand
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
.
Presecan returned to competition in 1997, winning her third World Championships medal with the Romanian team at that year's World Championships in Lausanne. Injuries kept her from the 1999 team, but she recovered in time to earn a place on the Romanian squad at the 2000 Olympics. She contributed to the team's gold medal and qualified for the balance beam event final, where she placed fourth, just out of the medals.
After the conclusion of the Games, it was revealed that Presecan had competed with a severe case of anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
. Despite having a hemoglobin
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of all vertebrates, with the exception of the fish family Channichthyidae, as well as the tissues of some invertebrates...
level of 6.3, she had been cleared to compete by team physician Ioachim Oana.
Post-retirement
After Presacan retired from gymnastics in late 2000, she had a brief career in rowingSport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, serving as a coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
for the Romanian rowing team at the 2001 University Games.
In 2002, Presecan, along with former teammates Corina Ungureanu
Corina Ungureanu
Corina Georgiana Ungureanu is a world-class Romanian artistic gymnast who competed internationally between 1993 and 1999...
and Lavinia Miloşovici
Lavinia Milosovici
Lavinia Corina Miloşovici is a Romanian Olympic gymnast. An exceptionally successful athlete on the international competition circuit, Miloşovici, also known as "Milo" in the gymnastics community, is considered to be one of Romania's top gymnasts of the 1990s and one of the most prolific female...
, sparked controversy by posing naked in photographs for a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese photobook
Photobook
A photo-book or photobook is a book in which photographs make a significant contribution to the overall content. The most critically acclaimed photo-books celebrate the creative work of an individual photographer, but can also result from the collaboration between a photographer and a writer, an...
, LCC Gold ISBN 4872791185, and performing gymnastics routines topless for the Japanese DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s Gold Bird and Euro Angels. A number of photographs from the photobook and DVDs were subsequently published in the Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai
Shukan Gendai
is a Japanese weekly magazine published since 1959 by Kodansha. Published simultaneously with Weekly Post , it includes articles about political scandals, sports and celebrities; nude photos; movie information; book reviews; and other articles of interest to middle-aged salarymen...
, and an edited version of the DVDs entitled 3 Gold Girls was released 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...
in 2004. Because the gymnasts had posed for some of the photographs and footage wearing their official Romanian team leotards
Uniform (gymnastics)
Athletes competing or training artistic gymnastics wear specific attire. The standard of dress for international competition is regulated by the FIG and the Code of Points.-Women:-Leotards:For females, the standard competition uniform is a leotard...
, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation banned them from coaching and judging in the country for five years, and the Japanese Junior Gymnastic Club Federation contemplated banning Romanian gymnasts from a major international junior competition.
Presecan is currently working as a coach on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
Major Results
1994 Junior Europeans: 7th AA, 4th V, 1st FX1994 World Team Championships: 1st team
1995 World Championships: 1st team
1997 International Team Championships: 1st team
1997 Romanian National Championships: 1st AA, 1st UB, 3rd BB, 2nd FX
1997 World Championships: 1st team, 8th AA, 5th UB, 6th FX
1998 Women's Artistic Championships: 2nd team
1998 International Team Championships: 2nd team
1998 European Championships: 1st Team, 3rd AA, 3rd UB
1998 Romanian National Championships: 1st BB
1999 International Team Championships: 1st team
2000 Romanian National Championships: 5th AA, 2nd BB
2000 Olympic Games: 1st T, 4th BB
Key: AA: all-around; BB: balance beam; FX: floor exercise; UB: uneven bars; VT: vault