Tribute courtesy of Ioana
Jadic.
Maria Neculita was one of the most
elegant and creative gymnasts to ever come out of Romania.
Unfortunately for her, she never seemed to live up to her
potential, but she won herself many fans with her unique and
difficult routines.
Born in Deva on March 30th 1974,
gymnastics was a natural choice for the 8-year old youngster who
became fascinated with the sport after seeing an open-air
competition organized by the Cetate Deva club. Her parents signed
her up for lessons, and pretty soon, she was going to school at
Deva and training at the Cetate Deva Gymnastics Club. Maria's
progress surprised even some of her coaches and it didn't take
long for her to become one of the best gymnasts at the club. She
was selected to be on the Senior National team in 1987.
Maria's first international medal
came at the prestigious Moscow News,where she finished 3rd in
floor final in 1988. She went on to win a silver in the all
around at the 1989 Cottbus meet and helped the Romanian team
finish second. The 1990 season was off to an auspicious start
after her all around victory at the Romanian International. She
was selected to be on the Romanian team for the 1990 European
Championships, along with Cristina Bontas and Mirela
Pasca. Maria finished sixth in the all round competition, third
on beam and fifth on floor, great results by anyone's standards,
but based on those results, the national coaches decided not to
send her to the World Cup -- opting instead for a team made up of Mirela
Pasca and Cristina Bontas. Instead of
complaining about what happened, Maria started getting ready for
next year and found a new hobby: choreographing floor routines
(she helped choreograph her floor routines in 1991 and 1992).
Maria finished second in the all
around at the 1991 Romanian International, and went on to compete
for Romania in that year's World Championships. Despite the fact
that many experts and fans felt Maria was one of the best beam
and floor performers in the world, she was one of the first
gymnasts in the line-up for both events. Maria made the most of
her Worlds experience and was very supportive of her teammates'
in the all around and event finals, helping them set up the
equipment before their performances and being one of the first to
offer a high five or a consolation hug.
The 1992 Worlds were Maria's first
major individual competition in a long time, and her performance
came as a surprise to everyone, including herself. Free from the
pressures of high expectations, she had one of her best meets,
finishing second on beam and third on floor. She probably would
have placed higher on floor, but she was the first gymnast to
perform her routine. Maria chose In the mood as her 1992
floor music, a piece/song that showcased her musicality, and
amazing sense of style. Combining that with world-class tumbling,
her floor routine established her as one of the medal contenders
for the upcoming Olympic games. Asked to comment on her
performance by Gazeta sporturilor (a Romanian sports
newspaper), Maria explained, "I never thought I could
win a world medal. This is definitely a surprise to everyone,
especially for me, but I will try to do my best in Barcelona and
hopefully, that will be good enough for a medal." Maria
went on to win the all around at the 1992 Romanian International, tying Gina
Gogean's score and finishing first in the floor final.
By the time the Olympics came, she
was poised and ready to take on the world...but the world wasn't
ready for her -- not as a lead off performer on beam, or as the
second gymnast up on the floor. Romania's team undoubtedly
benefited from her performances, and Maria said she accepted her
role as a team player. Despite the obvious disappointment she
must have felt, Maria decided to keep competing until the end of
the year. The 1992 Balkan games were her last competition and she
left the sport winning the all around (ahead of Gina Gogean) ,
the floor and beam finals and finishing second on bars. "
I think I was lucky enough to do something I love and be good at
it", she said when asked what were her final thoughts
on her career. Maria is still very much involved in the
gymnastics and in 1995, ProSport reported Maria was
coaching in Nuero, Italy at the Centro Sportiva Osaka club.
Her gymnasts were reported to be showing some great results at
the club level.
More than any other gymnast, Maria
had a right to get frustrated with a sport, where she never got a
chance to shine, despite her amazing talent and all her hard
work. Instead, she was always the first gymnast to smile at her
fans, and the last one to leave an autograph session. She will
always be remembered for her wonderful personality and for
leaving her mark on the sport as one of the few gymnasts who
combined artistry and difficulty in her original routines. And,
most of all, for being able to say so much with a simple smile at
the end of a routine. : )
. This page was created on August 14, 1999 and last updated on December 22, 1999.
| 