Nicoleta Onel
Encyclopedia
Nicoleta Raluca Onel is regarded as one of the most talented former Romania
n gymnasts
.
She took part in many national and international competitions in the mid 1990s, where she achieved notable results and quickly drew notice in the gymnastics community and emerged as a promising new Romanian gymnastics talent.
Forced to retire early from competition by an unfortunate spinal
accident that could have cost her life, little is known about her; she has probably gone down in gymnastics history, her results aside, as one of the few promising gymnasts who never made it to the senior level.
The best and most notable performances of Onel's gymnastics career include two all-round vice-champion titles; one won at the European Junior Championships in Belgium, 1995, and another one obtained at the World Junior Championships in Japan, 1997 (which coincides with the climax of her career).
Nicoleta Onel was born in the town of Ploieşti
, Romania
and started gymnastics at the age of 6. She had since divided her time between gymnastics and school. Although she loved gymnastics and took on a path aimed at building a professional career in this field, she also devoted a part of her time to the study. She was selected by two gym coaches who were seeking new talents in the schools of Ploieşti. She loved gymnastics so much that she accepted to face a hard training regime at the club and then go to school for another 6 hours.
Soon after she was selected for performance, she moved to a school located nearer to the gym club (which was 3 kilometers away from home), a distance often covered walking. At the age of six, she would wake up at 6 o'clock in the morning (earlier than anybody else in the family), walk 3 kilometers to the gym club, where an exhausting 6-hour training session awaited her, and then would go to school for another 6 hours (often forgetting to have lunch) and arrive late in the evening back home (often on foot).
After years of hard training, she took part in the first competitions: the national gymnastics championships for women. Many times on occasion of these championships, she placed first or second all-round and on other apparatuses. Consequently, the demands in the performance level and training increased and she had to cope with a stricter programme. Soon, she was selected for the Junior National Team in Bucharest
and she had to abandon completely her family, her native town and few other things as she moved up.
She was quickly remarked by the coaches in Bucharest as a talented gymnast and she enjoyed several successes during this period: in 1995 she was becoming European vice-champion all-round and on other apparatuses.
Next year, on the occasion of the same contest, she was kept as a substitute for the most part of the competition, which was reflected in the weak performance of the team at that time.
Also, she was included in the Romanian Olympic Team's plans for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
A turning point in Onel's career was the Bucharest team break-away in 1996, due to some misunderstandings between the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and the coaches. She was among the few junior gymnasts selected for the Senior National Team in Deva
, a dream of many Romania
n gymnasts.
Nicoleta enjoyed some exceptional successes in this time: World vice-champion with the team and all-round in Japan, 1997, Olympic vice-champion with the team in Portugal, 1997, and outnumbered first places in other international and regional competitions (in Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Guatemala
, Venezuela
, U.S.A
, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Hungary, etc.) all at the junior level.
Due to hard training and bones fragility, she suffered a spinal
accident in 1998, and she was advised to quit professional gymnastics for good. She had to abandon gymnastics and turned her attention towards school. In two years, she would have become a student at the National Academy of Sports.
Nevertheless, the Academy refused to accept her admission without a contest, pretending that the results she had obtained had not been obtained at senior level (despite the outnumbered titles she had conquered for her country). In a last-ditch effort, Onel required an audience with the Minister of Sports at that time.
After presenting him the situation she was confronting with and showing him all the titles she had conquered in her activity as a gymnast, the Minister accepted her admission without a contest to the Academy. She was soon hired as a gymnastics instructor at a local gym club in the Romanian capital of Bucharest, where she was offered a very low salary.
After two years spent coaching in Bucharest, in 2001, Nicoleta was offered a contract in the UAE as a gymnastics coach, in the International School of Choueifat, Al Ain. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/nicoleta_onel&date=2009-10-26+02:50:06
Regional competitions
International competitions
European junior championships
World junior championships
European youth Olympics
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 gymnasts
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
.
She took part in many national and international competitions in the mid 1990s, where she achieved notable results and quickly drew notice in the gymnastics community and emerged as a promising new Romanian gymnastics talent.
Forced to retire early from competition by an unfortunate spinal
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
accident that could have cost her life, little is known about her; she has probably gone down in gymnastics history, her results aside, as one of the few promising gymnasts who never made it to the senior level.
The best and most notable performances of Onel's gymnastics career include two all-round vice-champion titles; one won at the European Junior Championships in Belgium, 1995, and another one obtained at the World Junior Championships in Japan, 1997 (which coincides with the climax of her career).
Biography
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
, 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...
and started gymnastics at the age of 6. She had since divided her time between gymnastics and school. Although she loved gymnastics and took on a path aimed at building a professional career in this field, she also devoted a part of her time to the study. She was selected by two gym coaches who were seeking new talents in the schools of Ploieşti. She loved gymnastics so much that she accepted to face a hard training regime at the club and then go to school for another 6 hours.
Soon after she was selected for performance, she moved to a school located nearer to the gym club (which was 3 kilometers away from home), a distance often covered walking. At the age of six, she would wake up at 6 o'clock in the morning (earlier than anybody else in the family), walk 3 kilometers to the gym club, where an exhausting 6-hour training session awaited her, and then would go to school for another 6 hours (often forgetting to have lunch) and arrive late in the evening back home (often on foot).
After years of hard training, she took part in the first competitions: the national gymnastics championships for women. Many times on occasion of these championships, she placed first or second all-round and on other apparatuses. Consequently, the demands in the performance level and training increased and she had to cope with a stricter programme. Soon, she was selected for the Junior National Team 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....
and she had to abandon completely her family, her native town and few other things as she moved up.
She was quickly remarked by the coaches in Bucharest as a talented gymnast and she enjoyed several successes during this period: in 1995 she was becoming European vice-champion all-round and on other apparatuses.
Also, she was included in the Romanian Olympic Team's plans for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
A turning point in Onel's career was the Bucharest team break-away in 1996, due to some misunderstandings between the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and the coaches. She was among the few junior gymnasts selected for the Senior National Team in Deva
Deva, Romania
Deva is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, on the left bank of the Mureș River. It is the capital of Hunedoara County.-Name:...
, a dream of many 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 gymnasts.
Nicoleta enjoyed some exceptional successes in this time: World vice-champion with the team and all-round in Japan, 1997, Olympic vice-champion with the team in Portugal, 1997, and outnumbered first places in other international and regional competitions (in Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, U.S.A
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Hungary, etc.) all at the junior level.
Due to hard training and bones fragility, she suffered a spinal
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
accident in 1998, and she was advised to quit professional gymnastics for good. She had to abandon gymnastics and turned her attention towards school. In two years, she would have become a student at the National Academy of Sports.
Nevertheless, the Academy refused to accept her admission without a contest, pretending that the results she had obtained had not been obtained at senior level (despite the outnumbered titles she had conquered for her country). In a last-ditch effort, Onel required an audience with the Minister of Sports at that time.
After two years spent coaching in Bucharest, in 2001, Nicoleta was offered a contract in the UAE as a gymnastics coach, in the International School of Choueifat, Al Ain. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/nicoleta_onel&date=2009-10-26+02:50:06
Competitions and results
National competitions- 1991
- Team: 1st place
- Uneven bars: 2nd place
- 1992
- Uneven bars: 1st place
- All-round: 2nd place
- 1993
- Uneven bars: 1st place
- All-round: 2nd place
- Team: 2nd place
- 1994
- Uneven bars: 1st place
- All-round: 1st place
- Floor: 2nd place
- Horse vault: 3rd place
- 1995
- Beam: 1st place
- Uneven bars: 2nd place
- Floor: 2nd place
- Horse vault: 2nd place
Regional competitions
- 1995 (Hungary)
- Team: 1st place
- Uneven bars: 2nd place
- 1996 (Bulgaria)
- Team: 1st place
International competitions
- 1995 (England)
- Team: 1st place
- All-round: 4th place
- 1995 (Romania)
- Team: 1st place
- All-round: 3rd place
- 1995 (Guatemala)
- Team: 1st place
- Beam: 1st place
- All-round: 2nd place
- Uneven bars: 2nd place
- Floor: 2nd place
- 1995 (Netherlands)
- All-round: 5th place
- 1996 (Germany)
- Team: 1st place
- 1997 (U.S.A)
- Team: 3rd place
- 1997 (Spain)
- Team: 1st place
- 1998 (U.S.A)
- Team: 2nd place
European junior championships
- 1995 (Belgium)
- Team: 2nd place
- Uneven bars: 2nd place
- 1996 (England)
- Team: 3rd place
World junior championships
- 1997 (Japan)
- Beam: 2nd place
- Uneven bars: 2nd place
- Floor: 2nd place
- All-round: 2nd place
European youth Olympics
- 1997 (Portugal)
- All-round: 2nd place
Miscellaneous
- Nicoleta's middle name is Raluca, and that is what she is usually called by her relatives.
- Nicoleta has been working in the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
for 5 years now. - Despite her prestigious career and dozens of titles won for her country, Nicoleta was refused a life annuity (although she was entitled to be paid one by law) by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation on the pretext that all her titles were achieved at the junior level.
External links
- Nicoleta Onel official website
- Nicoleta Onel on YouTube
- Bios at romanian-gymnastics.com
- The U.S Gymnastics website section dedicated to Nicoleta Onel
- The World Junior Gymnastics Championships (Japan, 1997) website section dedicated to Nicoleta Onel
- An animations website section dedicated to Nicoleta Onel
- Romanian gymnastics forgotten stars: a website section dedicated to Nicoleta Onel
- A webpage dedicated to Nicoleta Onel
