Eugenia Golea
Encyclopedia
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 two consecutive layout stepout jumps. She helped her team to win an Olympic silver medal, a world title and a world silver medal. She liked all the events the same, though she excelled in vaulting and floor. On vault she won a world silver medal and a continental bronze and on beam she won a continental silver medal.
Later she joined the national team at Deva where she trained with
Adrian Gorean, Adrian Stan and Maria Cosma.
Her debut as a senior in an international event was in 1984. Although
she had an excellent showing at the 1984 Balkan Championships where she placed first with the team and third all-around she was left off the 1984 Olympic team.
In 1985 she was a member of the silver winning team at the World Championships in Montreal.
In 1987, together with Aurelia Dobre
, Camelia Voinea
, Celestina Popa
, Daniela Silivaş
and Ecaterina Szabo
, Eugenia was a member of the gold medal winning team at the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Rotterdam
, The Netherlands. During the vault optional in the team finals both Aurelia Dobre
and Eugenia scored perfect tens from the judges, Eugenia being one of three women (along with Elena Shushunova and Svetlana Baitova) to debut the double twisting yurchenko at the World Championships that year. Individually she won the silver medal on vault behind Elena Shushunova.
She had the opportunity to add two more individual medals at the 1987 European Championships Moscow
, a silver on beam and a bronze on vault. After winning silver with the team at the 1988 Summer Olympics
, Eugenia retired.
Puerto Rico. There, she worked for a circus and helped coach the Puerto Rican gymnastics team. Golea eventually immigrated to the United States to work as a gymnastic coach and choreographer. She coached at American Gymnastics in Bedford Hills, NY and YWCA in White Plains, NY.
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 :...
and for being the first gymnast to compete two consecutive layout stepout jumps. She helped her team to win an Olympic silver medal, a world title and a world silver medal. She liked all the events the same, though she excelled in vaulting and floor. On vault she won a world silver medal and a continental bronze and on beam she won a continental silver medal.
Career
Eugenia Golea began training at School Club N 2 in Bucharest under the coaching of Lucia Marcu and Mihai Demetrescu.Later she joined the national team at Deva where she trained with
Adrian Gorean, Adrian Stan and Maria Cosma.
Her debut as a senior in an international event was in 1984. Although
she had an excellent showing at the 1984 Balkan Championships where she placed first with the team and third all-around she was left off the 1984 Olympic team.
In 1985 she was a member of the silver winning team at the World Championships in Montreal.
In 1987, 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...
, Celestina Popa
Celestina Popa
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...
, 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...
, Eugenia was a member of the gold medal winning team at the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics 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. During the vault optional in the team finals both 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...
and Eugenia scored perfect tens from the judges, Eugenia being one of three women (along with Elena Shushunova and Svetlana Baitova) to debut the double twisting yurchenko at the World Championships that year. Individually she won the silver medal on vault behind Elena Shushunova.
She had the opportunity to add two more individual medals at the 1987 European Championships Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, a silver on beam and a bronze on vault. After winning silver with the team at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
, Eugenia retired.
Post retirement
After retirement she joined her brother in an acrobatic circus act. In 1991 Golea moved toPuerto Rico. There, she worked for a circus and helped coach the Puerto Rican gymnastics team. Golea eventually immigrated to the United States to work as a gymnastic coach and choreographer. She coached at American Gymnastics in Bedford Hills, NY and YWCA in White Plains, NY.