Athlete of the Week – Gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu
A Romanian gymnast stands out in the American university championship.
Florin Orban, 07.04.2026, 13:45
The United States University Championship is one of the most prestigious national competitions in world artistic gymnastics. It brings to the start many athletes who have won medals at world and Olympic competitions, both from the United States and abroad. Among the girls who have stood out in the competition recently is the most valuable Romanian gymnast at present, Ana Maria Bărbosu. She is a student with Stanford University, an institution that she represents in the competitions organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, under the colors of the Stanford Cardinals women’s gymnastics team.
The regional stage of the university championship has taken place these days. At the round hosted by the city of Baton Rouge, the Stanford team ranked 2nd, six tenths behind the host team, ranked first, namely Louisiana State University. Ana Maria Bărbosu performed strongly across all apparatus, scoring 9.875 on vault, 9.850 on parallel bars, 9.900 on beam, and 9.950 on floor. Notably, this competition utilized the old scoring system, where marks are capped at 10.
For her performance and for her contribution to the good result of the Stanford team, Radio Romania International designated Ana Maria Bărbosu the Athlete of the Week.
Born on July 27, 2006, in Focșani, Romania, gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu first gained international prominence at the 2020 Junior European Championships in Mersin, Turkey. She dominated the competition, securing gold medals in the team, individual all-around, and all individual apparatus events. In the senior competition, in 2022, at the European Championships in Munich, she achieved the best result of the Romanian delegation – 4th place on floor. In 2023, at the European Championships in Antalya, Turkey, she was part of the team with which Romania took 5th place, securing their presence at the World Championships in Antwerp that same year. In Belgium, the Romanian team ranked 10th and qualified for the Olympic Games, for the first time in 12 years. In 2025, at the European Championships in Leipzig, Ana Maria Bărbosu won the gold medal on floor, silver on beam and was third in the individual all-around and parallel bars. (EE)
