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Andreea Mădălina Răducan (born September 30 , 1983 ) is a Gymnast from Bârlad , Romania . She competed in Artistic Gymnastics at the 2000 Sydney Olympics , winning gold in the team event and silver on the Vault . EARLY CAREER Andreea Răducan was one of the "new generation gymnasts" groomed to take over the torch of Romanian gymnastics excellence after the retirements of Olympic medalists Lavinia Miloşovici and Gina Gogean . She began gymnastics at the age of four and a half in her hometown of Birlad. In 1996, after winning over twenty medals in local and regional competitions, she was invited to train at the Romanian junior team facility in Oneşti . Two years later, she was promoted to the national training center in Deva . Răducan made her international debut at the 1998 Junior European Championships, taking fourth place in the all-around. The next year, she rose to the senior ranks and made an impact at the World Championships in Tianjin , China , winning the FX final and placing fifth in the all-around. While Răducan's work on the Uneven Bars was considered weak, her skills on beam, vault and Floor Exercise were applauded. She was also admired because, unlike other members of the Romanian team, she showed a great deal of expression in her choreography and a wide variety of complex skills in her routines. At the 1999 World Championships, commentator Bart Conner noted, "it is so refreshing to see a Romanian (gymnast) who can dance!" SCANDAL AT THE SYDNEY OLYMPICS Răducan competed well at the Sydney Olympics, helping the Romanian women to win their first Olympic team gold medal since 1984 . She qualified for the floor and vault event finals, and, along with teammates Simona Amânar and Maria Olaru , the all-around finals. In the preliminary round of competition, she had the second highest all-around score of all competitors in the meet, trailing behind Russia 's Svetlana Khorkina by 0.288. http://www.gymn-forum.com/results/Olympics/2000_Sydney/2000_women_quali_teams_1-6.html Preliminary scores from the Sydney Olympics], Gymn Forum The all-around was mired in controversy. The vault was accidentally set 5 centimeters too low, creating a dangerous situation that completely altered the gymnasts' pre and post flights. As a result of the incorrectly set vault, many gymnasts suffered serious crashes and injuries during both the warmups and the competition, including Khorkina. One athlete, British gymnast Annika Reeder , was hurt badly enough to withdraw from the remainder of the meet. Even those who escaped injury found themselves shaken by their experiences on the vault. When the error was discovered by Australian gymnast Allana Slater in the third rotation, International Federation Of Gymnastics officials reset the vault height and allowed the competition to continue. They did permit the gymnasts who had vaulted in the first two rotations to take another turn on vault and be rescored; not every athlete accepted this offer. Răducan was one of the gymnasts who had vaulted on the incorrectly set apparatus but did not suffer a fall on the event and performed without serious error. She continued through the competition, turning in strong performances on Beam and floor, and ended up with the all-around gold medal. Also on the podium with her were her Romanian teammates; Amânar with silver and Olaru with bronze. Răducan was the first Romanian gymnast to win the Olympic all-around title since Nadia Comaneci in 1976; it was also the first time since 1960 that gymnasts from a single country swept the WAG all-around podium at the Olympics. However, several days after the competition concluded, the IOC announced that Răducan had tested positive for Pseudophedrine , at the time, a banned substance. In spite of strenuous appeals from Răducan, her coaches, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and certain members of the gymastics community, she was stripped of her gold medal. The gold was re-awarded to Amânar, Olaru was promoted to silver, and former fourth-place finisher Liu Xuan from China was given the bronze medal. Răducan's test samples from the team and vault event finals were clean; she was therefore allowed to keep the medals she won in these competitions. Amânar had also tested positive for Nurofen, but as she was taller and heavier than Răducan, the substance did not register as being over the allowed amount as it had with her younger teammate. Răducan and her coaches maintained that she was innocent, and, that as a minor, she had only followed the treatment plan the team physician had recommended. The night before the team competition, she had been given Nurofen , a common over-the-counter medication, to help treat a fever and cough. The Romanian team doctor who gave her the drug in two cold medicine pills was expelled from the Games and suspended through the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens . Both Amânar and Olaru expressed their belief that Răducan was the deserving all-around gold medalist. Following the announcement that Răducan would be stripped of her medal, they initially decided to refuse their new medals; however, they changed their minds in order to bring the medals back to Romania. Amânar said of the gold medal, "I didn't win it. It was won by Andreea and belongs to Andreea." She did in fact return the medal to Răducan back in Romania. Răducan's case was brought before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the fall of 2000. While the arbitration panel did concede that Răducan had not gained any advantage by taking the pseduophedrine, they upheld the IOC's decision. POST-SYDNEY Despite the controversy, Răducan was still seen as a positive and even sympathetic figure. She received a significant amount of support in Romania, and members of the gymnastics community, including Nadia Comaneci , publicly expressed their support. Răducan was given a replacement medal in pure gold by a Romanian jeweler; she also received several endorsements and sponsorships. At one point, a Răducan doll was even rumored to be in the works. Răducan continued to train in Deva after the Olympics. With the retirement of her Sydney teammates Amanar, Olaru, and Claudia Presacan , she found herself as one of the senior gymnasts at Deva. At the 2001 World Championships in Ghent , Belgium , she was part of the gold-medal winning Romanian team; she picked up a bronze in the all-around and golds on floor and beam. Injuries and other concerns marred her training in 2002; after a poor showing at the Worlds In Hungary , she quietly retired. Currently, Răducan is a sports announcer in Romania. She covered the 2004 Olympics in Athens . She also has her own Television Show and does various modeling and promotional work. She is one of Romania's biggest and most adored celebrities. SKILLS
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| Title | Text of CAS Decision on Răducan |
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| Url | http://sportsillustratedcnncom/olympics/2000/gymnastics/news/2000/09/27/raducan_text_ap/ |
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| Accessmonthday | March 26 |
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| Accessyear | 2006 |
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