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| Ecaterina Szabo |
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| Personal information |
| Country Represented: |
 Romania |
| Date of birth: |
January 22, 1967 (1967-01-22) (age 42) |
| Place of birth: |
Zagon |
| Discipline: |
Women's artistic gymnastics |
| Club: |
CSS Oneşti |
| Head coach(es): |
Adrian Goreac |
| Assistant coach(es): |
Adrian Stan, Maria Cosma |
| Former coach(es): |
Marta Károlyi, Béla Károlyi, Mihai Agoston |
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Ecaterina Szabo (Hungarian: Szabó Katalin) (born January 22, 1967 in Zagon, Covasna County, Romania) is a Romanian gymnast of Hungarian origin, who won an impressive number of 20 Olympic, world and continental medals. Although perhaps most notable for winning the all-around silver in the 1984 Olympics after an epic clash with Mary Lou Retton of the US, Szabo won gold medals in three of the individual events (vault, balance beam (tie), and floor exercise) and contributed to the team gold. Also she led her team to the world title at the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, defeating the USSR in the team competition for only the third time in the history of the competition. In 2000 Szabo was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame[1].
[edit] Early life and career
Szabo’s first language is Hungarian; she learned to speak Romanian only after she started going to gymnastics lessons. She started gymnastics in 1973 at the Gymnastics School in Oneşti with coaches Maria Cosma and Mihai Agoston[2]. Later she trained with Martha and Béla Károlyi. After their defection to USA she was coached by Adrian Goreac, Adrian Stan and Maria Cosma at Cetate Deva[3]. She enjoyed a tremendous success as a junior. Szabo became the first gymnast to win two Junior European all around gold titles competing against Lavinia Agache and Natalia Illienko (in 1980) and Olga Mostepanova and Yelena Shushunova (in 1982)[4]. Individually, in 1980 she won gold on vault, beam and floor and placed fourth on uneven bars[5] and in 1982 she won gold on vault and floor, silver on uneven bars and placed fourth on balance beam[6].
[edit] Senior career
Her first major international event was the 1983 European Championships in Goteborg. Here she won gold on floor and uneven bars, silver on vault[7]and bronze (tie) all around[8]. At the 1983 World Championships she placed third all around after Olga Mostepanova and Natalia Yurchenko. In this event she scored two perfect tens, one on floor and one on vault[9]. Additionally to her all around bronze she won gold on floor and silver on vault and uneven bars. She did not qualify for the beam finals[10]. She also contributed heavily to the team silver medal by scoring perfect tens on floor and uneven bars in the team optional[10].
[edit] 1984 Olympics
In response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, 14 Eastern Bloc countries and allies including the Soviet Union, Cuba and East Germany (but not Romania) boycotted the Games. In the absence of the Soviet competitors, Szabo entered the competition as the favourite. Even with the Soviets competing, Szabo would have been a strong contender. While preparing for the Olympics, Szabo scored a perfect 40.0 for her compulsory exercises at a dual meet held in Czechoslovakia[4]. In the all around competition she lost the title by a .05 to Mary Lou Retton and she settled for silver. However, she had a strong comeback in the event finals winning three gold medals on vault, beam and floor[3]. She also contributed to the Romania’s first Olympic title in the team event. Despite personal disappointment for not winning the all around title, Szabo returned home to Romania a heroine. Later that year, she was elected the most successful athlete of the year in Romania[4].
[edit] Post 1984 Olympic Games
1985 was a disappointing year for the multiple Olympic champion. At the 1985 European Championships she placed sixth on beam and floor, fifth all around and did not qualify in the uneven bars finals. However, she managed to win a silver medal on vault[3]. Later that year she had a similar showing at the 1985 World Championships, she placed fifth all around, fourth on floor, sixth on uneven bars. She left the competition with silver medals on beam, vault and with the team[3]. But in 1987, Szabo's hard work paid off. As a member of the tremendously successful Romanian team (five gold, one silver and four bronze) at the 1987 World Championships, Szabo and her teammates enjoyed a crushing defeat against the Soviets, winning the gold medal in the team event[4]. Individually, she tied for bronze on beam with Svetlana Boginskaya and placed 14 all around [11].
[edit] Post retirement
After the 1987 Worlds Szabo retired from artistic gymnastics and she went to study at the University of Physical and Sports Education in Bucharest. After graduation she worked as a coach at Deva where she trained among others Nadia Haţegan, Andreea Cacovean, and the 1999 World Champion Maria Olaru[4]. In June of 1991, Szabo married Christian Tomas, a former member of Romania's kayak team. The two later had two sons named Lorenzo and Zeno. In 1992, the family left Romania and settled in Chamalieres, France where she now works as a coach[4].
[edit] Skills
Szabo had a clean form in execution and was rewarded 17 scores of perfect ten between 1983 and 1984[12]. Her skills included a tucked backward salto with a full twist on beam (e.g. 1982 Ennia Cup[13]). On floor she performed difficult passes such as 1 1/2 twist back salto to 1 1/2 twist back salto, punch front or 1 1/2 twist back salto to 1 1/2 twist back salto, salto forward 1/2, punch front[14][15].
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