Gertrude Emilia Eberle was born in Arad, Romania. When she was 12 years old, in 1976, she joined the Romanian National Team and by 1977 she was already part of big meets like the dual meet against Spain where she finished 6th AA and the dual meet against the United States where she finished 2nd AA.
In 1978 she was the Romanian National Champion and attended the Worlds in Strasbourg where she earned a team silver and three bronzes: on bars, beam and floor. 1979 was also a very successful year for Emilia as she earned three silvers at Europeans in the AA, bars and beam. Later that year she was part of the World Team that earned gold in Fort Worth, Texas. Individually she took a bronze on the uneven bars and became World Champion on the Floor Exercise. At the Olympics in Moscow she earned a silver with her team and a silver on the uneven bars.
She attended one more European Championship and World Championship in 1981. At Europeans she was 18th AA and at Worlds she placed 4th with her team. Also in 1981 she attended her first University Games where won gold with her team, on bars, and in the floor exercise. Two years later she attended her second University Games where she won silver with her team and in the AA. She retired later that year.
She left Romania in 1989 and in 1991 she went to live to the United States. She’s now known as Trudi Kollar, as Gertrude is her first name and Kollar her married name.
At the Olympics in Moscow, Emilia used the Romanian music “Sanie cu zurgalai”, the music had been previously been used by her teammate Teodora Ungureanu in 1977 and was later used by Mary Lou Retton in her famous all-around win in 1984.
UB finalist at 1980 Olympics:
Here is a vid showing the three interpretations of the music and letting you choose the one you like best.
Article by: Isabel Iz