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Teodora Ungureanu

Teodora Ungureanu
— Gymnast —
Teodora Ungureanu 3.jpg
Ungureanu in the 1970s
Personal information
Full name Teodora Ungureanu
Country represented  Romania
Born (1960-11-13) November 13, 1960 (age 56)
Reșița, Romania
Height 150 cm (4 ft 11 in)
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Level Senior International
Gym National Training Centre
Head coach(es) Béla Károlyi
Assistant coach(es) Márta Károlyi
Former coach(es) Andrei Karekes
Retired 1979

Teodora Ungureanu (born November 13, 1960) is a Romanian former gymnast who competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics. She is a three-time Olympic medalist (two silver and one bronze) and a world championships silver medalist. After retiring from gymnastics she has enjoyed a successful career as a gymnastics coach.

Ungureanu began gymnastics at the age of nine. She trained in Bucharest until she was 12, when she joined the gymnastics school run by Béla Károlyi and his wife Márta. At her first Romanian National Championships, in 1971, she placed first in the all-around in the children's division. While Ungureanu was a skilled athlete, medalling at various World Cup and international events, she was frequently overshadowed by her more celebrated teammate and friend, Nadia Comăneci (who was born the day before Ungureanu's first birthday). She placed second to Comăneci at various events, including the Romanian Nationals. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, Ungureanu barely missed an all-around bronze, finishing fourth. She did win two individual medals in the event finals, a bronze on the balance beam and a silver on the uneven bars, and shared in the team's silver medal. Ungureanu's final meet was the 1979 World University Games, where she finished first in the all-around.

Following her retirement, she married Romanian Olympic gymnast Sorin Cepoi and began working with the Troup Cornea travelling circus. She and her husband eventually moved to France, where they coached for eight years before going to the United States in 1993. In 2001, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Currently, Ungureanu and her husband own Dynamic Gymnastics club in Westchester, New York. Ungureanu coached four-year national team member and 2011 world champion Sabrina Vega until 2012 at Dynamic Gymnastics. Ungureanu is also rated as an International Gymnastics Official and serves as a judge at various competitions.


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