Stuttgart, Germany – Gemini’s Ana wins Silver Stuttgart Gymnastics World Cup
Padurariu started off the competition on vault, laying down a solid effort to score 13.533, but leaving her tied for last position heading into the uneven bars. On bars, she scored a 14.066 to vault her into fourth position at the end of the second rotation. A fantastic performance on beam, the apparatus she won the silver medal on at last year’s World Championships, pushed her into the silver-medal position with a score of 14.333 – the top score on that apparatus. With a 13.200 on floor, Padurariu solidified her silver medal position with a total score of 55.132. Biles took gold with a total score of 58.800, while Seitz scored a 54.399 to walk away with bronze.
“This was such an awesome experience. The crowd was amazing, the equipment was good, everything about it was such a good experience and it was just great competing out there,” said Padurariu who trains out of Gemini Gymnastics in Oshawa, ON with coaches Elena Davydova and Valery Yahchybekov. “The highlight today for me was floor and beam. Staying on the beam is always a plus, and I loved competing this floor routine and having so much fun out there.”
When asked what it was like competing in her first World Cup, 16-year-old Padurariu commented: “I wasn’t as nervous as I thought and I was really happy about that because I know I’ve worked really hard with my coaches to be able to just go out there and do what I do in training.”
The next competition for our women’s national team is the Birmingham, UK World Cup on March 23rd which will feature Victoria Kayen Woo from Brossard, QC. Next up for Padurariu, and several other members of the women’s national team, will be a training camp in Tokyo, Japan in April, followed up by the Canadian Championships in Ottawa from May 23-26.
Source: Gymnastics Canada