Elena Amelia Racea (born 29 August 1994 in Tîrgu Jiu, Romania) is a Romanian artistic gymnast. She is a European champion on balance beam and a European all-around and team bronze medalist.
Gymnastics career
Racea started gymnastics at the age of 6 and won her first all-around national title in her age category in 2007. In 2008, she joined the junior national team in Deva. She had a successful junior career, medaling at various international competitions. She won silver on beam, bronze on floor, and placed fourth all around and with the team at the 2008 Junior European Championships.Gymnastics Results 2008 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships In 2009, she placed fifth all around at the prestigious American Cup ahead of more experienced gymnasts such as Koko Tsurumi and Kristina Goryunova.Gymnastics Results 2009 Tyson American Cup If not for a fall from uneven bars she might have placed higher. Later that year she won the all-around junior title at both the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy and the Lugano Trophy in Switzerland.Gymnastics Results 2009 Trofeo Citta di JesoloGymnastics Results 2009 Lugano Trophy The 10th European Youth Olympic Festival in Tampere was a very successful meet for Racea. Here, she won a total of six medals: two gold (vault and beam) and four silver (floor, uneven bars, all-around, and team).Gymnastics Results 10th European Youth Olympic Festival
2010 Racea's senior debut at a major international competition was at the 2010 European Championships. Here she qualified for the vault and floor finals and contributed to the team bronze medal.International Gymnast Magazine Russian women reclaim European title, Amanda Turner, May 1, 2010 In the beam final, she replaced the top qualifier Ana Porgras, who withdrew due to an ankle injury. She won the gold medal on beam and placed fifth on floor and seventh on vault.International Gymnast Magazine Tweddle, Rusia bid golden farewell to Birmingham, by Amanda Turner, May 2, 2010 Due to injuries, Racea was a reserve of the team for the 2010 World Championships, and she did not compete at this event.
2011 Her first 2011 competition was the European Championships in Berlin. Here she had a weak performance on qualification day with mistakes on floor, beam and uneven bars. Consequently, she failed to qualify on beam and barely qualified in the all-around final (22nd place).International Gymnast Magazine Mustafina dominates Berlin qualification, Amanda Turner, April 6, 2011 However, in the all around final Racea managed to have clean routines and edged teammate Diana Chelaru for the bronze medal.International Gymnast Magazine Dementyeva wins after Mustafina injured, Amanda Turner, April 8, 2011 She also placed seventh in the vault final.International Gymnast Magazine Tweddle takes third European bars title, Amanda Turner, April 9, 2011 A week later she participated at the 2011 Glasgow World Cup, where she won the all around title ahead of Jessica López and teammate Raluca Haidu.International Gymnast Magazine, Racea Purvis win Glasgow world cup, Amanda Turner, April 2011 In August–September 2011, she had good performances at the Romanian National Championships (second all around)International Gymnast Magazine Porgras takes third Romanian title, by Amanda Turner, August 26, 2011 and at two friendly meets in Germany and Great Britain. After these competitions, she went with the Romanian team to compete at the 2011 World Championships. Here, she helped her team place fourth by competing on uneven bars and on beam in the team final.Gymnastics Results 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Individually, she placed fifth in the beam final.International Gymnast Magazine World Championships conclude in Tokyo, by Amanda Turner, October 16, 2011
Post-gymnastics career Following her gymnastics career, she joined Circul Metropolitan Bucuresti, and has said that training for the circus is easier than her gymnastics training.
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