Gina Elena Gogean was born September 9, 1977 in Cimpuri, Romania. She began gymnastics at the age of 5, in 1983. Her family consists of her mother, Anica, her father, Emil, and her younger sister Maricica.
Gogean's first major international meet came in 1989, at the Junior International in Japan, where she won floor and finished 4th All-Around. However, her first appearance as a senior on the international gymnastics scene came in 1990 as the sole representative of Romania to the second Goodwill Games. At only 12 years of age, Gogean won a bronze on vault, placing 9th all-around among a strong field of competitors from around the world, including world and Olympic champions Henrietta Onodi, Kim Zmeskal, and Svetlana Boguinskaya. She was trumpeted by coach Belu as an example of the upcoming Romanian elite gymnasts, and he entered her throughout Europe in many small international meets.
1992 was the breakthrough year for Gogean. Attending her first European Championships at age 14, she contibuted to a team gold, qualifying to all four event finals. Though she finished eight on bars and beam, she earned silver on vault and a gold on floor. But perhaps her biggest triumph was a silver all-around, behind only Tatiana Gutsu, who became Olympic Champion later that year. In her first World Championships (1992, Paris), she finished a respectable seventh on vault and ninth on beam. She went to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where she finished sixth all-around, earning a silver medal with her team. In one of the closest all-around competitions in Olympic history, Gogean was a mere .113 from a gold medal with her over-all score of 39.624. She also finished fifth on vault.
With the retirement of Cristina Bontas and Mirela Pasca, Gogean stepped up as a team leader along with best friend Lavinia Milosovici. At the 1993 World Championships in Burmingham, England, she finished second to Shannon Miller, this time only .007 away from a gold medal. In event finals, she picked up two medals, with a silver on floor and a bronze on beam; she just missed out from another medal, finishing fourth on vault.
Gogean was the 1994 World Vault Champion, shared a gold with her team, and earned a bronze medal on floor. However, no gold all-around, for her ranking dropped to fourth (behind 1993 champ Miller, teammate Milosovici, and newcomer Dina Kochetkova). Up to this point, Gogean had earned golds on floor and vault and with her team, but would she ever win a gold medal all-around? She had come close twice, at the 1992 European Championships, in 1993 at Worlds.
In 1994, Gogean became golden, with a victory at the 1994 European Championships. As her team won a second straight title, she qualified to all four events, where she won beam outright, won a bronze on floor, and finished fourth on vault and eighth on bars. Finally, Gogean had earned gold that she had come so close to in the past.
More medals were to follow, though. In 1995, Gogean helped team Romania win the 1995 World Team Championships. At the individual World Champiohships in Sabae, Japan, she won a floor gold. She repeated this title in 1996, where she was also vault champion. She won the 1996 Chunichi Cup, as well as floor, vault, and second on beam. Though an injury prevented her from defending her all-around title in the 1996 European Championships, she helped her team win gold, and earned a silver for herself. With the Olympic Games looming in the future, Gogean's medal hopes looked bright.
But Gogean almost missed the competition; a sudden case of appendicitis required an appendix operation only 5 weeks before the Olympics. Missing only 12 days of training, Gogean was in top shape at the games, fueling her team to a surprising bronze (Russia and USA fielded strong teams, while Romania suffered from injuries to two teammates). Placing only behind 95 world champ Lilia Podkopayeva, Gogean won a silver in the all around, beating a super strong field, including Miller, Dawes, Kochetkova, Mo, Galieva, Moceanu, and her own teammates Milosovici and Amanar. She added a bronze on vault, beam, missing a floor medal due to a step out of bounds.
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Already 19, Gogean intended to compete just three events at 1997 Worlds, but just a month before the competition, she was encouraged to train on bars again. It was really her last chance for world all-around victory. No Romanian had won a major international all-around title since Aureila Dobre in 1987. Though her teammate Amanar won silver, Gogean did not win gold, due to low bars scores. In fact she didn't win a medal at all, finishing fourth (Many feel that bronze medalist Elena Produnova of Russia received a generous score on bars).
But the Worlds were definitely not a disappointment for Gogean. She and her teamates won gold for the third straight time. Then, for her second 'three-peat' Gogean went on to win gold on floor. She also capped off her career with another gold, on beam, and a bronze on vault. Gogean's last World Championships (of six) turned out to be her best. In her final competition, the 1998 World Cup (Japan), Gogean finished behind teammate Amanar for silvers on floor and vault, and behind Liu Xuan and Kui Yuanyuan for a bronze on beam–three events, three medals.
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During her entire gymnastics career, Gogean had won 27 Olympic, World, and European medals-15 of them gold. She stood on the world podium for 6 straight years (1993 to 1998) for her floor exercise excellence alone, and qualified for every vault final between 1992 and 1998. Never flashy or flamboyant, Gogean instead always demonstrated a calm, controlled, focused demeanour both in her gymnastics and with her audiences. Often criticized for "non-emotional gymnastics", Gogean was a tough competitor who seldom let her emotion get the best of her. Nevertheless she is a memorable champion. But every once in a while, Gogean shows us, that she, too, can smile at her accomplishments.
Gina Gogean: Golden Glory
