Ocatavian Belu Interview




CS: Mr. Belu, what conclusions can you draw now that the European Championships are over?

OB: As I anticipated, the competition was wide open, especially since we didn't know whether Maria Olaru was completely recovered or not. The alternates who competed in her place couldn't replace her completely. Loredana Boboc did well on floor, but not on beam, while Andreea Isarescu had a good performance on bars, but not so on vault. It's not a big tragedy or anything, because we went out there with a make-shift team. In the Senior team competition, we felt like the national soccer team without Hagi, but the junior team did well. It's only the first step, because the gymnasts have a lot of work to do.

CS: Maria Olaru trained with the rest of the team before the team competition and she didn't seem to be injured. Why didn't she compete?

OB: That's what some journalists wrote, and they probably know as much about gymnastics as I do about golf. She didn't even do one full routine. She might have gotten over the horse on vault, but she needs to do so within certain parameters (distance, height, etc). I think we made the right decision by not letting her compete, because we saw what can happen in a crisis situation. Anyone who has to stay in bed for 8 days, laying on their back with one leg up in the air and IV's, like Maria Olaru had to do, can't recover in 4 days.

CS: There have been rumors about a conflict between maria Olaru, and Mariana Bitang, or between Maria and Simona.

OB: That's the first time I ever heard of it. On the contrary, Mria and Simona were closer than ever before and Mariana Bitang was the one who encouraged Maria until the very last minute.

CS: Maria Olaru wasn't even present in the competition venue Saturday and Sunday.

OB: I'm the one who told the (team) doctor Maria had to stay in her room and continue her treatment. If she were to show up in the arena, everyone would have commiserated with her, and she would have been robbed of an opportunity to compete, to defend her title. Maybe I misunderstood something, but none of the reporters who came to meet our team seemed interested in Simona Amanar, who won the vault final with a 10.0 SV, which is tremendous accomplishment. In any case, she's our main hope for a medal and she will be in Sydney as well.

CS: Still, she had a mistake on bars

OB: That happened in Tianjin, as well. Every athlete has their nemesis. even Maradona missed some of his penalty shots (yet another soccer comparison). But no one seems to care Amanar had some good results and "saved" our team. These gymnasts can't stay on top forever. I kept saying our team is not as good as it used to be, Milo and Gina retired, Amanar will retire, too. Al of them were great all-arounders , and the gymnasts who are set to take their place, like Boboc and Isarescu just don't have the same spark. Our junior had some great results, but it remains to be seen how they develop, because they won partly because our opponents made so many mistakes.

CS: Still, you talked about being unhappy.

OB: Obviously I am unhappy because we couldn't field our best team. If we could do that and we would have had the same results, then I would have been worried, not unhappy.


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