Romania’s Catalina Ponor to be inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

Catalina Ponor, a former leading artistic gymnast of Romania, will be inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held in Oklahoma City on June 4, the organization announced.

“ Six gymnastics legends will be honored at the 25th annual International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (IGHOF) ceremony on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at the Petroleum Club in Oklahoma City,” the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame said on Facebook.

The IGHOF Class of 2022 includes Romanian Catalina Ponor. She is a 5-time Olympic Medalist, including three Gold medals in 2004 (Balance Beam, Floor Exercise, Team), 5-time World Championship medalist, and 8-time European Championship Medalist.

Ukrainian Tatiana Gutsu, German Fabian Hambuechen, and American Chellsie Memmel will also be honored this summer during the same IGHOF ceremony.

“In addition to the Class of 2022 Inductees, the 2022 IGHOF International Order of Merit will be presented to the family of George Nissen (USA, posthumous), the Founder of Nissen Gymnastics Equipment Company. Also, the family of gymnastics historian, Rome Milan (USA, posthumous), will accept a Special Recognition from the IGHOF for Rome’s longtime support and preservation of the rich history of gymnastics,” the organization also said.

Catalina Ponor is not the first Romanian athlete inducted in the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. According to local Agerpres, the list also includes Nadia Comaneci (1993), Bela Karolyi (1997), Ecaterina Szabo (2000), Teodora Ungureanu (2001), Daniela Silivas (2002), Simona Amanar (2007), Octavian Bellu (2009), Lavinia Milosovici (2011), Gina Gogean (2013), Aurelia Dobre (2016), and Andreea Raducan (2018).

(Photo source:Konstantin Pukhov/Dreamstime.com)