Athlete of the Week on RRI – Gymnast Catalina Ponor

Gymnast Catalina Ponor won gold in the beam and floor events and silver in the all-around event at the Abierto Mexicano de Gimnasia competition hosted by Ciodad de Mexico

Florin Orban, 28.11.2017, 13:54

After this event Catalina Ponor has withdrawn from international competitions. Throughout her 26-year-old career Catalina Ponor won 5 Olympic medals, of which 3 gold, 5 medals in World Championships and 13 medals in European competitions. Her recent trophies were won last year in Berne in Switzerland, in the beam and floor finals.

For her life-long achievements and for her latest remarkable result, we have designated Catalina Ponor Athlete of the Week on RRI.

Catalina Ponor was born on August 20, 1987 in Constanta. She took up gymnastics at a very early age with Farul sports club. In 2002 she was drafted into Romania’s extended national team and started training at the Deva training facility. In 2003 she became part of Romania’s national team. Later that year she produced a big surprise at the World Championships in Anaheim, US, winning three silver medals, in the team, beam and floor events. Her results prior to the competition told little of Catalina’s potential. At the 2003 national championships she had won bronze in the beam final, while at the International Championships in Romania that year she won silver in the same event. Catalina Ponor’s career peaked at the European Championship in Amsterdam in 2004.

She won three gold medals, in the team, beam and floor events. She continued her good run at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she won three gold medals, becoming the Romanian athlete with the most medals in that event. Later that year she was designated the best Romanian athlete and the world’s best gymnast. At the 2005 and 2006 European Championships she grabbed gold in the beam event and bronze with Romania’s team at the World Championships in Stuttgart. Catalina withdrew from international competitions that year. After a four-year break however she resumed training. At the European Championships in 2012, she was part of Romania’s team that grabbed gold in the team event. Catalina Ponor also grabbed gold in the beam event and silver in the floor event. At the London Olympics of 2012, Catalina grabbed silver in the floor final, and helped Romania grab bronze in the team event. (Translated by V. Palcu)