Nickname
Marochi (Athlete, 12 Oct 2001)
Hobbies
Playing football, skiing, cooking. (gymnastics.sport, 16 Jun 2020; libertatea.ro, 09 Jun 2019)
Occupation
Athlete
Education
Physical Education - National Academy of Physical Education and Sport, Bucharest, ROU
Family
Son Richard, daughter Beatrice Maria
Spoken languages
English, Romanian
Club
CSA Steaua Bucuresti [Romania]
Coach
Stefan Gal Ciobi [personal]
International senior debut
1999 for Romania (sports-reference.com. 2009)
Injuries
He suffered an Achilles tendon injury in his left leg in the lead-up to the 2019 European Championships. (libertatea.ro, 18 Apr 2019)
A diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia, which required minor heart surgery, meant he was not selected for the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. He returned to competition at the 2018 World Challenge Cup in Szombathely, Hungary. (fig-gymnastics.com, 24 Sep 2018)
Start sporting career
He took up the sport at age seven. (libertatea.ro, 09 Jun 2019; fig-gymnastics.com, 01 Oct 2011)
Reason for taking up the sport
He got involved in gymnastics so that his father would not make him do karate. "My father was a mechanic and was fixing a car that belonged to a karate coach, so he suggested I try it as a form of self-defence. I did not like it so I tried swimming too. Then gymnastics coach Petre Sacerdoteanu came to my school to select children for the sport. I was the first to put my hand up as I wanted an excuse to never do karate again." (libertatea.ro, 09 Jun 2019; fig-gymnastics.com, 01 Oct 2011)
Milestones
At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo he became the first artistic gymnast to represent Romania at five editions of the Olympic Games. His three medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens made him the second male gymnast representing Romania to win more than one Olympic medal. (SportsDeskOnline, 29 Sep 2021)
He is the most decorated male Romanian gymnast at the world championships, having claimed a total of 10 medals [eight gold, two silver] at 13 appearances at the tournament between 1999 and 2019. (SportsDeskOnline, 12 Mar 2020; libertatea.ro, 09 Jun 2019)
Trainings
He trains twice a day, six days per week. His day off is on Sundays. (digifm.ro, 24 Aug 2021)
Awards
He has received the title of Merited Master of Sport in Romania. (digifm.ro, 24 Aug 2021)
In 2005 and 2009 he was named Romanian Athlete of the Year. (sports-reference.com, 2009)
Additional information
General
CAREER
Shortly after the 2005 European Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, he announced his retirement from gymnastics. After a brief coaching stint, he resumed training in Romania and returned to competition. He announced his retirement again after competing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but made his second comeback in 2015 in order to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He also represented Romania at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, where he placed 16th in vault at age 40 and 227 days. (SportsDeskOnline, 29 Sep 2021; libertatea.ro, 09 Jun 2019; prosport.ro, 20 Jan 2015; FIG, 15 May 2005)
NAMED ELEMENT
The International Gymnastics Federation [FIG] has included the 'Dragulescu' in their Code of Points scoring system for vault. The element is a handspring double front somersault with a half-turn. "I am honoured and I am happy. My name is in the Code of Points, and my name will go on. It is a very beautiful vault, and it is not easy. Not everyone does it. What gymnast would not be proud if they had invented an element in gymnastics?" (fig-gymnastics.com, 16 Nov 2015, 01 Oct 2011)
Last update : 2021-09-29
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