Dominique Moceanu Bio

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Hometown: Hollywood, Calif.
Residence: Houston, Texas
Birth Date/Place: September 30, 1981/Hollywood, Calif.
Club: Unattached
Coach: Arthur Akopyan
School: Northland Christian School
Year in School: 10th (Fall, '96)
Years on National Team: 5 (1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97)
Began Gymnastics: 1984
Favorite Apparatus/Event: Floor exercise
Hobbies: Swimming, reading, listening to music

At age 14 Moceanu was the youngest member of the 1996 Gold Medal Olympic Team and finished ninth in the all-around competition. She and her teammates appeared on the Wheaties cereal box and also appeared on numerous television talk shows. Moceanu earned the only individual medal for the U.S. (silver on beam) at the 1995 World Championships, and was the highest American all-around finisher. She vaulted from Junior National Champion in 1994 to Senior National Champion in 1995. At age 13, she became the youngest Senior National Champion in history. At age 10, she qualified to the U.S. Junior National Team-the youngest athlete ever to make the team. She won her first international all-around title at the 1995 Visa Challenge and was named USOC SportsWoman of the month for April and September '95. She was a nominee for the 1995 Sullivan Award, honoring the top amateur athlete in the USA. McDonald's awarded Dominique with the 1996 Break Through To Be Your Best Award. Moceanu's goal after gymnastics, is to get involved in sports medicine. Her parents were born in Romania and came to the U.S. in 1980. Moceanu's father, Dumitru, was a gymnast on the Romanian Junior National Team while her mother, Camelia, was a level 10 gymnast. Moceanu has a younger sister, Christina, who is also in gymnastics. Because of her parents background, Dominique speaks fluent Romanian. Before settling in Houston so that Moceanu could train with Bela Karolyi, the family lived in California, Illinois and Florida. Dominique was featured on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in 1996 and appeared in a Kodak commercial on TV. She also has a book entitled, Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion, on the market.

International Competition

• 1996 World Pro Championships, Cincinnati, Ohio; 1st-Team
• 1996 USA vs The World, Houston, Texas; 1st-Team
• 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta, Ga.; 1st-Team, 9th-AA (Competition II), 4th-FX, 6th-BB
• 1996 World Championships, Sabae, Japan; 5th-AA, 3rd-Team, 2nd(t)-BB, 7th(t)-FX
• 1995 Visa Challenge, Fairfax, Va.; 1st-AA, Team & FX, 3rd-V & BB, 2nd-UB
• 1995 Reese's International Gymnastics Cup, Portland, Ore.; 1st-UB, 3rd-BB, 4th-FX
• 1993 International Tournament of Jr. Women's Gymnastics, Charleroi, Belgium; 5th-AA, 1st-Team & BB, 3rd-UB
• 1992 Jr. Pan American Games; 2nd-AA, 1st-Team, V, UB & FX

National Competition

• 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials-Gymnastics, Boston, Mass.; 2nd-AA (did not compete; scores carried from 1996 Coca-Cola National Championships)
• 1996 Coca-Cola National Champoionships, Knoxville, Tenn.; 3rd-AA
• 1995 World Team Trials, Austin, Texas; 1st-AA
• 1995 Coca-Cola Nationals Championships, New Orleans, La.; 1st-AA, 2nd-FX, 3rd-V, 5th-BB, 6th-UB
• 1995 American Classic/Pan American Games Trials, Oakland, Calif.; 2nd(t)-AA, 1st-V, 9th-UB, 3rd-BB, 3rd-FX
• 1994 Coca-Cola National Championships, Nashville, Tenn.; 1st-AA, V & FX(t), 3rd-UB & BB (junior division)
• 1994 American Classic/World Championships Trials, Orlando, Fla.; 4th-AA (junior division)
• 1993 Coca-Cola National Championships, Salt Lake City, Utah; 7th (t)-AA (junior division)
• 1993 U.S. Classic, Austin, Texas; 8th-AA (junior division)
• 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival, San Antonio, Texas; 12th-AA, 4th-FX
• 1993 American Classic, Murray, Utah; 10th(t)-AA, 5th-FX, 7th-V, 15th-UB, 16th-BB (junior division)
• 1992 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Columbus, Ohio; 5th-AA, 2nd-BB (junior division)
• 1992 U.S. Classic, Knoxville, Tenn.; 10th-AA, 4th-BB (junior division)
• 1991 U.S. Classic, Salt Lake City, Utah; 7th-AA, 1st-BB, 5th-UB (junior division)