Romanian Larisa Iordache wins world gymnastics silver in China

Romanian gymnast Larisa Iordache won the silver at the Nanning World Gymnastic Championship on Friday, October 10. Iordache brought the first medal in seven years for Romania at an all-around women’s gymnastics final. She is due to compete in the floor and balance beam final on Sunday, October 12. The Romanian shared the podium with two US gymnasts, Simone Biles who got the gold, and Kyla Ross, winner of the bronze medal. Romania’s women’s gymnastics team finished fourth, while the men’s team ranked 19th in the qualifications stage and failed to qualify for the finals. The Nanning World Gymnastics Championship, which started on October 3, will end on October 12, and has gathered 600 competitors from 74 countries. The first 24 teams who qualify will advance to the World Championship in Glasgow in 2015, and the first eighth in that championship will go to the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. Romania already qualified for Glasgow. Larisa Iordache, 18, has been winning medals at various European and World Championships in the last years. She is a 5-time European gold medalist, an Olympic bronze medalist with the team in 2012, and a 7-time gold medalist in the World Cups. She has been competing since 2008. editor@romania-insider.com (photos: Larisa Iordache on Facebook)