Worlds are just warm-up for 2008, says China
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-11-15 11:01

Leonida failed to win selection for the Olympic team. Ponor's fellow team gold medallists from Athens -- Daniela Sofronie, Monica Rosu and Oana Ban -- quit, were excluded from the squad for being overweight or were banned from training because of health problems.

"Romanian (female gymnastics) is in a difficult situation now," Romanian Gymnastics Federation (FRG) general secretary Adrian Stoica told Reuters.

"Next year you'll see new faces in our squad able to compete at the highest level."

Romania, who were also Olympic team champions in 1984 and 2000, had no female team at the 2003 European championships.

Despite that, the country's team, trained by Belu and Bitang, dominated the Olympics in Athens with a total of six medals, four of them golds.

Ponor complained about her solitude at the top of Romanian gymnastics.

"Gymnastics is not an individual sport as it looks," Ponor said. "You need a team mate by your shoulder to support you."