Dominique Moceanu

Profile

Family Name: Moceanu
First Name: Dominique
Middle Name: Helena
Date of Birth: September 30th, 1981
Birthplace: Hollywood, California
Former Club: Karolyi Gymnastics (until 1996)
Former Coaches: Bela and Martha Karolyi (until 1996), Luminita Miscenco (from 1997 to 1999)
Club: Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy
Coach: Mary Lee Tracy
Began Gymnastics: 1985
Favorite Events: Floor Exercise, Balance Beam
Favorite Gymnasts: Mary Lou Retton, Blaine Wilson, Jason Gatson
Parents: Dimitri and Camelia Moceanu
Sibling: Christina
Favorite Movies: 'Armageddon', 'Titanic', 'Pretty Woman', 'Breakfast Club', 'GI Jane', '16 Candles'
Favorite Actress: Demi Moore
Favorite Actors: Ben Affleck, RIchard Gere, Jim Carey
Favorite T.V. Shows: 'Friends', 'Dawson's Creek'
Favorite Singer: Madonna
Favorite Music: Everything
Favorite Magazine: Cosmogirl, Seventeen
Favorite Colors: Blue, red, purple
Favorite Food: Chocolate, Ice cream, Chicken Ceasar Salad, Steaks, Salmon, Shrimp
Favorite Drink: Lemonade
Favorite Place she's visited: Switzerland
Favorite Sports to watch: Basketball, skating, skiing
Hobbies: Go dancing with her friends, listening to music, shopping,  skiing, going to the beach, working on her scrapbook       

Photo by Matthew Barber

Top Achievements

1994 Junior National Champion and Gold Medalist (AA, Vault, Floor)
1995 U.S. National Champion  and Gold Medalist (AA - youngest ever), Silver Medalist (Floor) and Bronze Medalist (Vault)
1995 World Championships Silver Medalist (Beam), Bronze Medalist (Team), Event Finalist (7th Floor) and 5th AA
1996 U.S. National Championships Bronze Medalist (AA)
1996 Olympic Gold Medalist (Team) and Event Finalist (Beam, Floor)
1997 U.S. National Championships Silver Medalist (Floor)
1998 Goodwill Games Champion and Gold Medalist (AA)
1998 U.S. National Championships Gold Medalist (Vault, Beam) and Bronze Medalist (AA, Floor)

For complete results, see her USA Gymnastics Official Biography

Biography

Dominique began gymnastics at the age of... six months. Her parents, both former Romanian gymnasts who had promised themselves their first child would be a gymnast, hung their daughter on a clothesline to see how long she could hang on! When Dominique was three years old, her father Dimitri asked legendary coach Bela Karolyi if he could coach his daughter, but Karolyi refused because of her young age and advised them to come back when Dominique was a little older. So the Moceanus moved to Illinois, then Florida, to help Dominique improve her skills. A few years later, Bela agreed to take on Dominique and the family moved to Houston, Texas.
In 1994, Dominique won the U.S. Nationals in the junior division and in 1995, she became the youngest senior national champion to this day. At the 1995 World Championships, she finished fifth all-around and won a silver medal on beam (the only individual medal for a U.S. gymnast at these World Championships). She suddenly became a media darling and a favorite for the Olympic title.
But in 1996, she had to deal with a series of major injuries. She had to skip the American Cup, and competed in pain at Nationals - even though she finished third in the all-around (behind Shannon Miller and Jaycie Phelps), doctors found out she had a stress fracture in her right tibia. She watched the Olympic Trials from the stands, but USAG rules allowed her to petition onto the team (she kept her score from Nationals at Trials and it proved to be high enough to make the team).
At the Atlanta Olympics, Dominique and her teammates won the first Olympic team gold medal for the U.S. in women's gymnastics history (and earned the nickname 'Magnificent Seven'), but Dominique was still competing in pain. She qualified for the all-around as an alternate, and only competed there because teammate Kerri Strug hurt her ankle. She barely earned a spot in the top ten, and didn't medal in any of the event finals (she fell off the beam and finished fourth on floor).
After the Olympics, she - like the rest of the team - went on tour and made numerous television appearances. Unfortunately, 1997 wasn't a great year for her as far as her gymnastics is concerned. But in 1998, she slowly made her way to the top again, and not only did she win the Goodwill Games, she also managed to earn four medals at Nationals, including two golds.
But the moment her career seemed to be back on track, Dominique had serious personal problems. The rumor says the Moceanu parents sacked Dominique's coach Luminita Miscenco because she 'had a bad influence on their daughter'. Dominique was so angry she accused her parents (especially her father) of having stolen her youth and the money she had earned. The family went to court and the judge ruled in Dominique's favor: at the age of 17, she could legally be considered as an adult and thus take care of herself, while her parents were allowed to keep the huge gym they had built in Texas with Dominique's money.
Dominique left Texas for Colorado, where she began training for the 2000 Olympics with Luminita Miscenco.  But after a short while, Dominique injured herself and had to undergo surgery. Luminita Miscenco having left Colorado, Dominique, who'drecovered from her injury, moved to Ohio, where she trained with Mary Lee Tracy, hoping to make the 2000 Olympic Team. But only a few days before Trials, Dominique had to withdraw from the competition because of a knee injury. She does not know yet if she will compete in 2001.    

Links

Dominique Moceanu Online: The Official Site
Dominique Moceanu: America's Dream
Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion
Dominique Moceanu: An American Princess
Dominique Moceanu: Tumbling to the Top
Dominique Moceanu: Tumbling Through The World
A Dominique Moceanu Homepage
Dominique Moceanu Page
Dominique Moceanu of the Mag7
Marques' Dominique Moceanu Page
Nique's Online Fans Website
The Dominique Moceanu Fan Page
USA Gymnastics Official Biography

Copyright Lani Schea Holmes

Latest Update: August 25th 2000.