From Adevarul:
Catalina Ponor is the Romanian gymnastics team’s star. After her 2007 retirement, she returned to the gym after a 4 year break and made the Tokyo World team.

„Adevarul”: How did you get to practice gymnastics?
Catalina Ponor: It was because of my grandmother, when I was 4. Probably God gave me this gift because every time I passed by the gym I would point out I wanted to go there. Once I went in I couldn’t leave anymore.
What did you want to be when you were little?
I don’t know if I ever dreamt about something else because I started at 4 and I stayed on this path, wanting to be like Nadia. She was the role model I wanted to equal.
Did you feel like the favorite to win a medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics or did you just hope to come in first?
I wasn’t hoping, I could really say: “Yes! I am the favorite to win a medal!” I didn’t actually imagine I would win three, but I wanted at least two.
Did anything announce the three titles?
Yes, the evening before I dreamt 3 white horses! I didn’t know what that meant, but my mum said it was a good sign.
Did you ever want to give up gymnastics?
You have many moments like this in life. I am a strong person and I never gave up when faced with this kind of moments. On the contrary, I tried to push and motivate myself even more.
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