Daniela Silivaș

1.1. Childhood and early training

Silivaș was born in Deva, Romania, on May 9, 1972. She began gymnastics at the age of six. For a period of six months, she was coached by Béla Károlyi before his defection in 1981.

1.2. Junior career

Silivaș achieved early success in her junior career, winning her school's championships in 1980. She then became the Romanian junior national champion in both 1981 and 1982. She continued to compete in various junior meets through 1984, showcasing a particularly strong performance at the 1984 Junior European Championships. At this event, she secured the gold medal on the balance beam, earned silver medals on the uneven bars and floor exercise, and placed fourth in the all-around. At the 1984 Junior Friendship Tournament (Druzhba), she won gold medals in both the all-around and uneven bars, competing against a strong field that included future Olympic and World medalists such as Svetlana Boguinskaya, Aurelia Dobre, and Dagmar Kersten.

2.1. Age falsification

In 1985, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation controversially changed Silivaș's birth year from 1972 to 1970. This alteration was made to meet the age eligibility requirements for the 1985 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Montreal. Although suspicions about the falsification existed, it was not officially confirmed until Silivaș herself revealed the truth in 2002. She stated that she was never consulted about the decision; officials simply provided her with a new passport, pointed out the altered birth date, and informed her that she was now considered 15 years old, despite being only 13 at the time. This incident highlights serious ethical implications regarding athlete fairness and transparency within sports organizations.

2.2. 1985-1987

Following her age falsification, Daniela Silivaș quickly made her mark in senior international competitions, establishing herself as a leading figure in Romanian gymnastics.

2.2.4. 1987 World Championships

At the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Silivaș played a crucial role in the Romanian squad's victory in the team competition. This marked the first time the Romanian team had defeated the formidable Soviet team since 1979. Silivaș was considered a strong contender for the individual all-around title. However, she was hampered by lower scores carried over from the team optionals, where she had fallen on the balance beam during a split leap, and a somewhat shaky uneven bars routine in the all-around. Despite these challenges, she still managed to secure the bronze medal, finishing behind her teammate Aurelia Dobre and Yelena Shushunova. Her strong performance in the team compulsory round, including two perfect 10.00 scores, contributed significantly to her all-around medal. In the subsequent event finals, she demonstrated her prowess by winning gold medals on both the uneven bars and the floor exercise.

2.3. 1988 Olympics

The 1988 Seoul Olympics proved to be a pivotal and highly successful event in Daniela Silivaș's career, though not without its controversies.

2.4. Post-Olympics and retirement

Following her extraordinary performance at the Seoul Olympics, Silivaș continued to compete, but her career was eventually cut short by injury and political events.

Despite suffering a serious knee injury in 1989, Silivaș managed to successfully defend her floor exercise title at the European Championships that year. She also earned three additional medals, including a silver in the all-around competition, placing second to Svetlana Boguinskaya. Still hampered by her injury, she participated in the 1989 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. There, she placed 12th in the all-around after a fall from the balance beam. However, in the event finals, she once again showcased her remarkable talent by capturing three more gold medals on the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.

After several more competitions in 1989, Silivaș underwent surgery on her knee. She had intended to resume training, but the National Training Center at Deva was closed during the Romanian Revolution of 1989. This unforeseen circumstance effectively brought an early end to her competitive career. She officially retired from gymnastics in 1991.

3.1. Gymnastics style

The hallmarks of Silivaș's gymnastics were her impeccable form, precise execution, and routines that consistently featured a high level of difficulty. Beyond the technical aspects, she was renowned for her expressive dance, charming performances, and undeniable artistic flair. Her routines were meticulously choreographed, showcasing her ability to blend athleticism with captivating artistry. Many of the skills she performed during the 1988 Olympics continue to carry high difficulty ratings in the Code of Points today, a testament to her advanced technique and innovation.

3.2. Eponymous skills

Daniela Silivaș has two specific gymnastics skills officially named after her in the Code of Points, reflecting her significant contributions to the sport's evolution.

The most notable is the "Silivaș" on floor exercise, which is a double-twisting double back tucked somersault. This skill is rated as an "H" difficulty, making it one of the most complex and challenging elements in women's gymnastics. Additionally, a "Silivaș" mount is recognized on the balance beam, involving a jump with a half turn (180°) over the shoulder to a neck stand, followed by another half turn (180°) to a chest stand, rated as a "B" difficulty.

Highlights of the skills she performed in her routines between 1985 and 1988 included:

• Vault
  • Tucked Yurchenko full
  • Layout Yurchenko full
• Uneven bars
  • Stalder 1/2 pirouette directly into Endo 1/2 pirouette
  • Straddled Deltchev
  • Straddled Tkatchev
  • Shaposhnikova transition
  • Free hip frontaway to front 1/2 dismount
• Balance beam
  • The "Silivaș" mount: shoulder stand-pirouette to chest stand
  • Back handspring, two layout step-outs
  • Back handspring, layout on two feet
  • Aerial front walkover
  • Double back tuck dismount
• Floor exercise
  • "Back to back" tumbling: Round-off, back handspring, double twist, punch front, round-off, back handspring, double twist, punch front.
  • Triple twist
  • Double twisting double back tuck ("Silivaș")
  • Tucked full-in
  • Piked full-in
  • Double back tuck
  • Double tour-double pirouette
  • The "Silivaș" skill, which involved spinning on the ankles

4.1. Move to the United States and coaching

Silivaș retired from gymnastics in 1991 and subsequently moved to the United States, settling in Atlanta. She embarked on a full-time career as a gymnastics coach at Jump Start Gymnasium, located in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

4.2. International Gymnastics Hall of Fame induction

In 2002, Daniela Silivaș was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, a prestigious honor that recognizes her significant contributions and lasting impact on the sport of gymnastics. At the time of her induction, she held the record as the youngest gymnast to receive this esteemed recognition.

4.3. Personal life

In May 2003, Daniela Silivaș married Scott Harper, a sports management graduate residing in the Atlanta area. The couple has three children: two sons, Jadan Scott, born on April 8, 2004, and Rylan Bryce Harper, born in October 2009, and a daughter, Ava Luciana, born on November 8, 2005. The family currently resides in Marietta, Georgia.

5.1. Evaluation of achievements

Daniela Silivaș is widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. She was chosen as one of the "Top Ten All-Around Gymnasts of All Time" in a poll conducted by Inside Gymnastics magazine. Her career was defined by remarkable athletic achievements and technical innovations that pushed the boundaries of the sport. She was the first gymnast to win three Olympic and World individual titles on three separate apparatus: uneven bars and floor (at the 1988 Olympics, 1987, and 1989 World Championships) and balance beam (at the 1988 Olympics, 1985, and 1989 World Championships). This extraordinary feat was only equaled 20 years later by Simone Biles. Her influence on subsequent generations of gymnasts is significant, as her high-difficulty routines and impeccable execution set new standards for the sport.

5.2. Criticisms and controversies

Despite her celebrated achievements, Daniela Silivaș's career is also associated with significant criticisms and controversies, most notably the age falsification scandal. The revelation in 2002 that the Romanian Gymnastics Federation had altered her birth year from 1972 to 1970 to allow her to compete in the 1985 World Championships raised serious ethical questions. This act undermined the principles of fair play and transparency, highlighting the pressures and potential abuses within competitive sports, particularly concerning young athletes. While Silivaș herself stated she was not consulted and was merely presented with a new passport, the incident casts a shadow on the integrity of the system at the time.

Additionally, the scoring controversy surrounding her vault performance in the all-around final at the 1988 Seoul Olympics remains a point of debate. The controversial 9.8 score from the Soviet judge, Nellie Kim, on her first vault, which was significantly lower than other judges' marks, fueled suspicions of biased judging. Although the highest and lowest scores were dropped in the final calculation, and no official protest was filed, the incident underscored concerns about subjective judging and its potential impact on medal outcomes. These controversies provide a balanced perspective on her legacy, acknowledging her immense talent while also addressing the systemic issues present in the sport during her era.