Maria Neculita
Encyclopedia
Maria Neculiţă is a Romanian artistic gymnast who competed in international events between 1988 and 1992. Her best events were the floor and the beam. She won the team silver medal at the 1992 Olympics
and team bronze at the 1991 World Championships
. Individually, she won silver on beam and bronze on floor at the 1992 Worlds
and a continental bronze on beam in 1990.
Her international debut as senior was at the 1988 Moscow news where she medaled bronze on the floor exercise and placed sixth all around and on the uneven bars.
In 1990 she competed in her first major international competition, the 1990 European Championships, Athens
. In Athens
she won bronze on the balance beam and she placed fifth on floor and sixth all around.
Neculiţă won the bronze medal with the team at the 1991 World Championships
. The team showed a good performance in the team optionals but, together with Eugenia Popa
, Maria was heavily criticized by the press and by coach Belu for having let the crowd interfere with their performance during the team compulsories. At this competition Maria did not qualify in any of the final events
However, one year latter she had one of her best meets at the 1992 World Championships
, tying for silver on beam with Li Yifan and for bronze on floor with Tatiana Lysenko
. Her floor routine showed musicality, style and world class tumbling, establishing her as one of the medal contenders on floor for the 1992 Olympic Games.
In 1992 she also tied with Gina Gogean
for the all around title and won the floor title at the 1992 International Championships of Romania.
Together with Lavinia Miloşovici
, Gina Gogean
, Mirela Paşca
, Vanda Hădărean
, and Cristina Bontaş
, Maria was a member of the silver winning Romanian team at the 1992 Summer Olympics Barcelona
, Spain
. Unfortunately, in the qualifications for the floor and beam finals she placed seventeenth and sixteenth, respectively. Therefore, she did not compete in the final events. Instead, her teammates Miloşovici
and Bontaş
won the gold and the bronze in the floor final, respectively.
Her last competition was the 1992 Balkan games were she won the all around (ahead of Gina Gogean
), the floor and beam finals and finished second on bars.
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
and team bronze at the 1991 World Championships
1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 26th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Indianapolis, USA, in the Hoosier Dome, September 6 to 15, 1991.-Medals:-All-round:-Apparatus:-All-round:-Apparatus:-References:**...
. Individually, she won silver on beam and bronze on floor at the 1992 Worlds
1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 27th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Paris, France, in 1992.The team and all-around events were not contested at the 1992 Worlds. The format was similar to that of the 2002 Worlds, with medals being awarded for the individual WAG and MAG apparatus...
and a continental bronze on beam in 1990.
Career
Maria started gymnastics at the age of eight at Cetate Deva Gymnastics Club. In 1987 she was selected for the senior national team trained by coaches Octavian Belu.Her international debut as senior was at the 1988 Moscow news where she medaled bronze on the floor exercise and placed sixth all around and on the uneven bars.
In 1990 she competed in her first major international competition, the 1990 European Championships, Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. In Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
she won bronze on the balance beam and she placed fifth on floor and sixth all around.
Neculiţă won the bronze medal with the team at the 1991 World Championships
1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 26th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Indianapolis, USA, in the Hoosier Dome, September 6 to 15, 1991.-Medals:-All-round:-Apparatus:-All-round:-Apparatus:-References:**...
. The team showed a good performance in the team optionals but, together with Eugenia Popa
Eugenia Popa
Eugenia Popa is a retired Romanian artistic gymnast. She won two world championships medals with the team: a silver medal in 1989 and a bronze medal in 1991. She was an alternate to the 1992 silver winning Romanian Olympic team. After retirement she became a coach of artistic gymnastics...
, Maria was heavily criticized by the press and by coach Belu for having let the crowd interfere with their performance during the team compulsories. At this competition Maria did not qualify in any of the final events
However, one year latter she had one of her best meets at the 1992 World Championships
1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 27th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Paris, France, in 1992.The team and all-around events were not contested at the 1992 Worlds. The format was similar to that of the 2002 Worlds, with medals being awarded for the individual WAG and MAG apparatus...
, tying for silver on beam with Li Yifan and for bronze on floor with Tatiana Lysenko
Tatiana Lysenko
Tatiana Felixivna Lysenko is a Soviet and Ukrainian gymnast, who had her senior competitive career from 1990 to 1994.She is Jewish. Tatiana was known for her exceptional difficulty level and haughty style on the floor...
. Her floor routine showed musicality, style and world class tumbling, establishing her as one of the medal contenders on floor for the 1992 Olympic Games.
In 1992 she also tied with Gina Gogean
Gina Gogean
Gina Gogean is a retired gymnast from Romania who competed internationally in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. During her career she won an impressive number of 30 medals at Olympic Games, world championships or continental championships...
for the all around title and won the floor title at the 1992 International Championships of Romania.
Together with 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...
, Gina Gogean
Gina Gogean
Gina Gogean is a retired gymnast from Romania who competed internationally in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. During her career she won an impressive number of 30 medals at Olympic Games, world championships or continental championships...
, Mirela Paşca
Mirela Pasca
Mirela Ana Paşca is a Romanian artistic gymnast, who competed in international events between 1990 and 1992. She is an Olympic silver medalist and a world bronze medalist with the team. Individually, she is a world bronze medalist and a European champion on uneven bars...
, Vanda Hădărean
Vanda Hadarean
Vanda Maria Hădărean is a retired Romanian artistic gymnast who competed in international events between 1990 and 1993. She is an Olympic silver medalist and a world bronze medalist with the team and a European all around bronze medalist. She is also a successful fitness model and she has won...
, and Cristina Bontaş
Cristina Bontas
Cristina Bontaş is a Romanian artistic gymnast, who competed in international events between 1987 and 1993. Her best events were the floor exercise, the vault and the all around. She is a world champion on floor, a double olympic medalist and a six-time world medalist...
, Maria was a member of the silver winning Romanian team at the 1992 Summer Olympics Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Unfortunately, in the qualifications for the floor and beam finals she placed seventeenth and sixteenth, respectively. Therefore, she did not compete in the final events. Instead, her teammates 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...
and Bontaş
Cristina Bontas
Cristina Bontaş is a Romanian artistic gymnast, who competed in international events between 1987 and 1993. Her best events were the floor exercise, the vault and the all around. She is a world champion on floor, a double olympic medalist and a six-time world medalist...
won the gold and the bronze in the floor final, respectively.
Her last competition was the 1992 Balkan games were she won the all around (ahead of Gina Gogean
Gina Gogean
Gina Gogean is a retired gymnast from Romania who competed internationally in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. During her career she won an impressive number of 30 medals at Olympic Games, world championships or continental championships...
), the floor and beam finals and finished second on bars.