Amelia Racea was a very successful Romanian junior gymnast. At the 2008 Junior Europeans Amelia claimed a silver on balance beam and a bronze in the floor exercise. In 2009 Amelia competed at the American Cup where she placed 5th and later that year she won the all-around at the Jesolo Trophy competition.
In 2010 Amelia became a senior and her first major meet was the Senior European Championships, during qualifications Amelia competed all pieces of apparatus and qualified to the vault and floor finals. During the team final Amelia competed all four pieces, her bars was the top score of the Romanian team that ended up winning bronze. On vault she finished 7th and on floor she finished 5th. Amelia had not qualified to the beam final as she had placed 9th during qualification and was Romania’s third top score on beam however after Ana Porgras injured herself during the team final Amelia replaced her and won the Beam European Title for Romania. Due to injury Amelia was forced to miss the 2010 World Championships.
Back at Europeans in 2011 Amelia had a very bad qualification meet missing a tumbling pass in her floor exercise and qualifying 22nd to the all-around final. However an improved performance, particularly on bars and floor, during the actual final gave her a third place finish ahead of teammate Diana Chelaru.
She continued to show her all-around talent by winning the Glasgow World Cup and finishing second at the Romanian Nationals. At Nationals Amelia also claimed a bronze on vault and beam and a gold on bars. At Worlds in Tokyo, Amelia competed bars and beam during the team final contributing to the team’s fourth place finish and competed at the beam final where she placed 5th.
Amelia’s talent in the all-around with a strong note on the uneven bars got her in the fight for a spot in the Olympic Team, unfortunately it did not happen for her. She announced her retirement at the end of 2012.
Amelia Racea competing on floor at the 2010 European Championships to the music: Up Is Down
Link: http://youtu.be/qHzIAMcolt8
Article by Isabel Iz
Photo Cover: Brigid McCarthy
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