When Larisa Iordache’s grandmother brought her to her first gymnastics class, she had no way of knowing her granddaughter would grow into one of Romania’s most elite gymnasts. 

 
 

Larisa Iordache has an impressive athletic resume, one that is envied by gymnasts across the world. At a young age, she earned a position on the 2012 Romanian Olympic Team that finished third at the Games, and competed in her first World Championship in 2013. In her early international career, Iordache was the rookie. She admired the talent competing next to her- women like Catalina Ponor and Sandra Izbasa. Ponor competed for Romania in the 2003/2005/2007 World Championships, won gold in the team event and on beam and floor at the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece, and earned another Olympic spot for the 2012 Games in London. Izbasa took first on floor at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and gold on vault in the 2012 Games in London. She held a team spot at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships, and had been competing at the European Championships from 2006 to 2012. Both Romanian gymnasts were at the top of their game, veterans on their country’s national team. It was from these gymnasts that Iordache was able to learn leadership, work ethic, and fortitude. She grew up around gymnastics legends, and later became one herself. 

 

It was not until this year that Iordache was able to really step up and take the reigns of her Romanian team. At the 2014 World Championships, she was surrounded by girls who had little international experience, and she was their commander. While she had high aspirations for her comrades, the Team Final proved to be more of a challenge than expected. Iordache was one of two Romanian gymnasts to compete all four events in the final, where she scored two events of 15+, and contributed two high 14 scores to the team’s total. Her previous World and Olympic experience was working in her favor, and she knew how to handle the pressure. Her teammates, however, were not so sure of themselves. Romania suffered multiple falls during the competition, and their medal dreams seemed to be dissenigrating before their eyes. Munteanu fought through a rough floor routine to put up a low 13.7, sixteen year old Tudorache underachieved on bars with a 12.833, and Alina Stanila, the second all-around contributor, had a less than impressive performance on bars, beam, and floor, making crucial mistakes that didn’t score those events above a mid 13. It seemed that Iordache was dragging her team through the mud in order to preserve her country’s hopes of a team medal. 

 

She opened her competition with a powerful Yurchenko double full, attempting to set the tone for her teammates and show her intention for the meet. Bars was a display of beauty and fluidity, both of which carried over to beam where she looked nearly flawless through the entire set. A roundoff back handspring triple twist dismount polished off the routine, and it was obvious she wasn’t letting her team go down without a fight. Her arguably best event, floor, was last. She needed a routine close to perfection in order to surpass the Russians, and she came close. A stuck tucked double double opened the routine, and her tone was set. Her energy and passion for the sport and her country was evident through every movement and choreographed combination she performed. She lived and breathed Romanian artistry, and knew the outcome rested on her shoulders. A small step out of bounds cost her a crucial deduction, but was the only falter of the set. Iordache gave everything she had in not only that floor routine, but in her entire competition, to her fellow teammates. 

 

The Romanian world team finished in fourth place behind the USA, China, and Russia that night, and disappointment was radiating from the faces of the gymnasts. Iordache took it upon herself to console her teammates, displaying the veteran, nurturing role she had grown to fill. This was her team, and she would fight for them. Throughout the duration of Worlds, Iordache lead her team with poise, grace, and confidence. She exuded the leadership qualities she had learned from Catalina Ponor, Sandra Izbasa, and others on the national team from years prior. It was from observing her role on the Romanian National Team that we know, in the near future, they will be a force to fight. 


Video By FIG Channel

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