Celestina Popa
Encyclopedia
Celestina Popa-Toma is a retired Romanian artistic gymnast, who competed in international events between 1985 and 1988. She is an Olympic silver medalist and a world gold and silver medalist with the team. She is best known for her eponymous straddle pike jump with full turn on floor as well as for her flexibility and unique style.
. Also in 1985, she was the all around champion, vault and beam gold medalist at the International Chunichi Cup in Japan.
Together with Aurelia Dobre
, Camelia Voinea
, Eugenia Golea
, Daniela Silivaş
and Ecaterina Szabo
, Celestina was a member of the gold medal winning team at the 1987 World Championships
Rotterdam
, The Netherlands. In 1988 she won the silver medal with the team at the Olympics and placed ten all around in the preliminaries.
, Canada
. Popa married fellow former Romanian gymnast Flaviu Toma, longtime head coach and technical director at Flicka. In 2009 she opened her own gym "Celestina Popa Gymnastics" in British Columbia, Canada.
Career
In 1984 she placed second at the Romanian Junior Nationals and she became a member of the national team. In 1985 she was a member of the silver medal winning team at the 1985 World Championships1985 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 23rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Montreal, Canada, in 1985.-Medals:-All-around:- Floor exercise :-Pommel horse:-Rings:-Vault:-Parallel bars:-Horizontal bar:-Team final:-All-around:- Vault :...
. Also in 1985, she was the all around champion, vault and beam gold medalist at the International Chunichi Cup in Japan.
Together with Aurelia Dobre
Aurelia Dobre
Aurelia Dobre is a former artistic gymnast from Romania, who was the 1987 World Champion. She is still held in high esteem by many gymnastics fans today for her clean technique as well as balletic and artistic flair...
, Camelia Voinea
Camelia Voinea
Camelia Voinea is a retired Romanian artistic gymnast, who competed in international events between 1984 and 1988. She was best known for her powerful tumbling, her innovative 1986-87 floor exercise that featured breakdancing elements, and for being the first gymnast to tumble a double layout to...
, Eugenia Golea
Eugenia Golea
Eugenia Golea is a retired Romanian artistic gymnast, who competed in international events between 1984 and 1988. She is known for scoring a perfect 10 for the vault optional in the team competition of the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and for being the first gymnast to compete...
, Daniela Silivaş
Daniela Silivas
Viorica Daniela Silivaş-Harper , best known as Daniela Silivaş, is a Romanian gymnast who is most famous for winning six medals in women's artistic gymnastics at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea...
and Ecaterina Szabo
Ecaterina Szabo
Ecaterina Szabo is an ethnic Hungarian former artistic gymnast from Romania who won 20 Olympic, world and continental medals...
, Celestina was a member of the gold medal winning team at the 1987 World Championships
1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 24th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 1987.-Medals:-All-around:- Floor exercise :-Pommel horse:-Rings:-Vault:-Parallel bars:-Horizontal bar:-Team final:-All-around:- Vault :...
Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, The Netherlands. In 1988 she won the silver medal with the team at the Olympics and placed ten all around in the preliminaries.
Post retirement
Celestina retired in 1989. After retirement she attended the Sport School in Bucharest from 1989 to 1991. She graduated from University with a degree in Physical Education in 1994. She is a Master of Sports in Gymnastics (1987) and she has the National Romanian Coaching Certification Level III. Celestina has been coaching since 1991. Since 1994 she is a recreational coach at Flicka Gymnastics, VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Popa married fellow former Romanian gymnast Flaviu Toma, longtime head coach and technical director at Flicka. In 2009 she opened her own gym "Celestina Popa Gymnastics" in British Columbia, Canada.