Dominique Helena Moceanu (born September 30, 1981 in Hollywood, California) is an American gymnast of Romanian descent who was a member of the Olympic Gold medal winning 1996 U.S. Women's Gymnastics team in Atlanta (the "Magnificent 7"). Gymnastics has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Greetings from Hollywood Hollywood is a district of the city of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., that extends from Vermont Avenue on the east to just beyond Laurel Canyon Boulevard above Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards on the west; the north to south boundary east of La Brea Avenue... Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics or rhythmic gymnastics. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... Hotlanta redirects here. ... The Magnificent Seven is the 1996 U.S. Olympic Womens Gymnastics Team which won the first ever Gold Medal for the United States in the Womens Team Competition at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. ...

The hallmarks of Moceanu's gymnastics, in the early stage of her elite career, were daring tricks on balance beam and spunky, inspired presentation on floor exercise. In the latter part of her elite career, under the direction of new coaches, she developed a more elegant, mature style. Although she was never considered to be an overwhelmingly innovative gymnast, she did display a high level of difficulty in her gymnastics, particularly on beam and floor.

Early career and the Mag 7

Moceanu was one of the last gymnasts to be trained by the legendary Romanian coaches Marta and Béla Károlyi in Houston Texas. Although she began her gymnastics career at LeFleur's in Florida, by the time she was twelve she was one of Károlyi's stars. She began competing internationally at a young age, earning her first US National Team berth in 1992. At the age of 10 1/2, in the spring of 1992, she earned five medals--gold in the team event, uneven bars, vault and floor exercise; silver in the all-around--at that year's Junior Pan Am Games. Marta Károlyi, sometimes called Martha (born 1942), is a Romanian gymnastics coach. ... Béla Károlyi (born September 13, 1942 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania), is a world-renowned gymnastics coach. ... Houston redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... The Pan American Games are a multi-sport event, held every four years between competitors from all nations of the Americas. ...

Under Károlyi's tutelage Moceanu became the US Junior National Champion in 1994. In 1995 she repeated her success as a senior, becoming the youngest gymnast ever to win the US Championships. She was also the youngest member of the American team at the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, Japan. Moceanu did not disappoint, earning the highest American placement in the all-around competition and becoming the only American gymnast to win an individual medal, a silver on the balance beam. Sabae (鯖江市; -shi) is a city located in Fukui, Japan. ...

Moceanu's national and international successes, combined with her plucky, bubbly attitude, earned her attention and a wide fan base both in and out of the gymnastics community. In the months leading up to the Atlanta Olympics, she was one of the most recognizable faces of USA Gymnastics, eclipsing more decorated teammates such as Shannon Miller and Dominique Dawes. In 1995 alone, Moceanu was featured in Vanity Fair and wrote an autobiography, Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion. The book was highly successful and ranked number seven on the New York Times' Best Sellers List. Shannon Lee Miller (b. ... Dominique Margaux Dawes (born November 20, 1976, in Silver Spring, Maryland) is a United States gymnast. ... American actress Demi Moore, on a typical Vanity Fair cover (August, 1991) Vanity Fair is a glossy American glamour magazine monthly that offers a mixture of articles based on sensational exaggerations, jet-set and entertainment-business personalities, politics, and lies. ...

Moceanu was expected by many to be a major medal threat at the 1996 Olympics. However, following the 1996 US Nationals, where she placed third in the all-around, she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her right tibia. Her injury forced her to sit out of the Olympic Trials, but she was petitioned onto the team on the strength of her Nationals scores.

At the Olympics, still struggling with her injury and sporting a heavily bandaged leg, Moceanu contributed heavily to the team gold medal, turning in such strong performances that she qualified for the event finals on balance beam and floor exercise. However, she faltered in the last rotation of team finals, falling on both of her vaults. She only advanced to the all-around finals as a replacement for injured teammate Kerri Strug. Small mistakes cost her a medal, but she still placed a respectable ninth. In the balance beam event final, Moceanu suffered a horrifying fall when she missed a foot on a layout and crashed into the balance beam on her head. She finished the exercise and went on to a strong performance in the floor finals later that day, finishing fourth and just missing a medal. Kerri Allyson Strug (born November 19, 1977) is an American gymnast from Tucson, Arizona. ...

Post-Atlanta

Following the Atlanta Olympics, Dominique participated in numerous tours and professional gymnastics exhibitions before returning to competition. With the retirement of the Károlyis, she began training with other coaches at Moceanu Gymnastics, a gym constructed and run by her family.

Out of peak form, Moceanu placed ninth at the 1997 US Nationals. She participated in the 1997 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, leading a new and mostly inexperienced US team. She was elected team captain, and qualified for the all-around final, but the competition was not a positive experience for her. Logo The 33rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1997. ...

By 1998, however, Moceanu returned to top form. Under the tutelage of her new coach, Luminita Miscenco, she adjusted to a significant growth spurt and developed a clean, elegant style. She was selected for the American team at the 1998 Goodwill Games, where she became the first and only American to ever win the all-around title. In doing so, she defeated reigning World all-around champion Svetlana Khorkina, as well as the World silver and bronze medalists, Simona Amanar and Elena Produnova. Many consider this competition to be the highlight of Moceanu's career. Logo of the 2nd Games in Seattle The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. ... Simona Amânar (born October 7, 1979 in Constanţa) is a Romanian gymnast. ... Yelena, or Elena, Produnova (born on February 15, 1980) is a female Russian gymnast, living in Rostov-on-Don. ...

In late 1998, Moceanu was in the news for another reason--she left home and sued for legal emancipation from her parents in order to regain control of the money she'd earned as a gymnastics professional. In the resulting court case and television interviews, Moceanu stated that her father had squandered her sizeable earnings and even hit her. The court approved her petition for emancipation and control of her finances. However, Moceanu did eventually reconcile with both of her parents. Emancipation of minors is a legal mechanism by which a person below the age of majority (adulthood) gains certain rights, generally identical to those of adults. ...

Training with Mary Lee Tracy at the Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy (CGA), Moceanu placed 8th at the 2000 US Nationals. She qualified for the Olympic Trials, but was forced to withdraw with a leg injury.

Current status

After a five-year hiatus from elite gymnastics, leading to considerable weight gain, Moceanu announced a return to competition in 2005. However, injury kept her from competing in the 2005 Nationals. She remained committed to her comeback efforts, training on floor and vault.

In the summer of 2006, Moceanu was invited to attend the USA Gymnastics national training camp. She also competed at the 2006 US Classic, where she performed decently on vault, successfully executing a full twisting Tsukahara vault. On floor she went out of bounds on her tucked full-in pass and fell on her double pike, posting one of the lowest FX scores of the meet.

In a decision that proved to be somewhat controversial, Moceanu was not able to qualify to the 2006 US National Championships. Moceanu stated that she had been informed that she would advance to Nationals by attending the National Training Camp and competing at least two events at the Classic. Despite meeting these requirements, she was not able to qualify to Nationals based on her Classic performances. Moceanu appealed this decision with USA Gymnastics, but the ruling was not overturned.

Moceanu is currently a student at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. On November 4, 2006, she married long-time boyfriend and former Ohio State gymnast Dr. Michael Canales in Houston, Texas.[1] John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area in the United States. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ...

Moceanu and Canales reported via Dominique's official website that she is pregnant with their first child and is due in January.

Major results

• 2000 US Championships: 9th AA
• 1998 Goodwill Games: 1st AA
• 1998 US Championships: 3rd AA; 1st BB; 1st VT
• 1997 World Championships: 6th Team; 14th AA
• 1997 US Championships: 9th AA
• 1997 International Team Championships: 2nd Team; 17th (two events only)
• 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta USA: 1st Team; 9th AA; 4th FX; 6th BB
• 1996 US Championships: 3rd AA
• 1995 World Championships, Sabae JPN: 3rd Team; 5th AA; 2nd BB; 7th FX
• 1995 US Championships: 1st AA; 2nd FX; 3rd VT; 5th BB; 6th UB
• 1995 US Classic: 2nd AA
• 1994 US Championships: 1st AA (junior)
• 1993 US Championships: 7th AA (junior)
• 1993 US Classic: 8th AA (junior)
• 1993 US Olympic Festival: 12th AA
• 1992 Pan American Games: 1st Team; 2nd AA; FX, VT; UB (youth)
• 1992 US Championships: 5th AA (junior)
• 1992 US Classic: 10th AA (junior)
• 1991 US Classic: 7th AA (junior)

External links

• Official Website
• AAA Dominique Moceanu: America's Dream
• moceanugymnastics
• Moceanu's profile at the FIG website
• Moceanu's profile at USA Gymnastics (PDF file)