Gina Gogean

Gina Gogean was officially born in 1977, however in 2002 a Romanian newspaper published hospital documents showing her year of birth as 1978, which would have made ineligible for some of her earliest senior events. Her first international appearance was the Junior International in Japan in 1989 where she won the floor and her first competition on senior level was the Goodwill Games in 1990. In 1992 she won three medals at the European Championships, including a gold on floor, and participated in the World Championships in Paris without winning a medal before going to the Olympics where she was on the silver medal winning team.

The following years she was a regular member of the Romanian national team and soon became one of the team leaders. After winning an all-around silver at the 1993 World Championships Gogean won gold in all-around, beam, and with the team at the 1994 European Championships. In the following three World Championships, from 1994-96, she won six gold medals – two in vault, two in floor, and two with the team. She and the Romanian team were favorites for the 1996 Olympics, but Gogean underwent an appendectomy only five weeks before the Games and, though it was a surprise that she was able to compete at all, she won four medals including a silver in all-around. But her best performance came at the 1997 World Championships held in Lausanne where she won three gold medals – her third consecutive title on floor as well as with the team and her first title on beam. In total she has a medal record of 9-2-4 at the Worlds and 4-5-1 at the European Championships.

She retired after the 1998 World Cup held in Japan where she only competed in three events, but still placed in the top three in each. Gogean resumed her studies, coached in Romania and later for some time in Scotland, and also worked as a television commentator. In 2001 she became a gymnastics judge and has judged regularly since then.