Valeria Ionascu, Andreea Raducan's first coach, can't contain her excitement when she talks about the world title her former student won in the floor event final (at Worlds) "It's her favorite event. I was 90% sure she'd win. I relied on her determination and elegance." Andreea is one of the few gymnasts who started competing in major meets since she started first grade. In that sense, she already has 10 year of competitional experience behind her, but the recently concluded World Championships represent the most difficult competition she participated in. Ever since she was little, Andreea was very serious (about gymnastics), a child who impressed everyone with her work ethic and diligence. Andreea comes from a simple family in Barlad. Her mother works in a textile factory, while her father is currently unemployed. Andreea has a younger brother, who plays soccer. Their father's dream was to see his children become great athletes. Even though they desperately wanted to welcome their daughter at the airport, Andreea's parents were forced to give up on that idea, because they couldn't afford to pay for the trip to Bucharest. "I'll call when she gets to Deva, because Andreea is my pride and joy", concluded Valeria Ionascu.

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