International Gymnast - October 2010

TRAMPOLINE WOMEN: 1. Dong Yu CHN 39.90; 2. Svetlana Makshtarova BLR 37.70; 3. Chisato Doihata JPN 36.70; 4. Mariah Madigan CAN 35.60; 5. Savannah Vinsant USA 33.50; 6. Madeleine Johnson AUS 33. 40; 7. Simone Scherer SUI 31. 20; 8. Daiene Lima BRA 26. 40.

MEN: 1. Alexander Satin UKR 41.00; 2. He Yuxiang CHN 40.70; 3. Ginga Munetomo JPN 40.00; 4. Apostolos Koutavas GRE 39. 20; 5. Oliver Amann GER 38.50; 6. Aleh Rabtsau BLR 37. 30; 7. Curtis Gerein CN 36.80; 8. Nathan Bailey GBR 12.00.

INTERNATIONAL I.D.

• Sophia Serseri/FRA: Though she placed 28th in qualifications at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August, Serseri is already intent on making the French team for the London 2012 Olympics. Born Dec. 1, 1995, in Chenove, Serseri began training at age 4. Her current coaches are Eric and Monique Hagard, and Eric and Cecile Demay.

Serseri, who trains 28 hours per week, says floor is her strongest event but that she likes all four events. Her favorite gymnasts are Ana Porgras of Romania, and Bridget Sloan and Rebecca Bross of the U.S. She would like to become a dermatologist one day.

• Oliver Hegi/SUI: Hegi literally held the honor of carrying the Swiss flag at the opening ceremony of this summer’s Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, a just reward for his success thus far in 2010. Hegi won four silver medals (team, pommel horse, parallel bars and high bar) at the European junior championships in Birmingham this spring. He placed 19th in qualifications in Singapore, missing the cut-off for the all-around final by 0.05 points.

In 2009 Hegi won a team silver and two bronze medals (parallel bars and high bar) at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Finland. Born Feb. 20, 1993, in Schafisheim, Hegi trains under coach Sergei Maslenikov at STV Lenz-burg. His favorite event is parallel bars, and his goal is to compete in the Olympics. Hegi’s hob-bies are music and watching TV.

• Marian Dragulescu/ROU: The 2009 floor and vault world champion received a warning from the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) for not clarifying his status as an active gymnast six months prior to competing.

The Romanian Gymnastics Federation (RGF) had informed the FIG on Dec. 30, 2008, that Dragulescu was retired. Dragulescu returned to competition for the 2009 world championships in London, where he won two gold medals.

In order to come out of retirement, a gymnast must inform the FIG six months prior so he can be included in the random drug-testing program. Dragulescu met with the Disciplinary Commission at FIG headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, July 30. In short, he explained that he was not trying to avoid out-of-competition drug testing. (He was tested twice at the 2009 worlds, and both tests were negative.)

Dragulescu will not be stripped of his 2009 world medals, while the RGF was charged 6,217 Swiss francs for the cost of the proceedings. IG Los Angeles resident John Crumlish has covered three Olympics and 12 world championships.