She's has been one of the most prolific gymnasts this century, and she's back for another shot at glory.
In addition to the other names listed on IGF's nominative roster listings, Catalina Ponor was added as a member of Romania's World Championship team earlier this week. Ponor originally after the London 2012 Olympics, but announced her return international competitions back in March. In an interview with wogymnast.com back in March, Ponor said she wanted to return to help her home country, as well as to set a record.
"First, I want to make a third Olympics, which will be the first time for a Romanian gymnast to do so, because why not, I like to challenge myself." Ponor said when asked why she waned to make a comeback. "Second, I want to help the Romanian team in Rio and to try to help the girls to qualify for 2016, and third I actually miss gymnastics and the competitions."
Ponor also said she wasn't afraid of failure, even though this might be the biggest risk she has ever taken in her career.
"When you are a top elite athlete, you always risk failure. It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there. But I like to be challenged and I will risk maybe the biggest failure in my career, but I will work hard and I will try to not let this happen."
Ponor has had a long career that is filled with triumph, she also has had her share of injuries, as well. She competed in her first World Championships back in 2003 and helped her country win the silver medal. She also walked away with silvers in the floor exercise and balance beam competitions. The following year, she represented Romania in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. While the United States, lead by Carly Patterson, who would win the gold medal that year in the all around, and Russia, lead by multiple time world champion Svetlana Khorkina, were the favorites to win the gold in the team competition, Romania upset them both and walked out of Athens with the gold. Ponor also won gold in the balance beam and floor exercise disciplines, leaving Athens as the most decorated gymnast of those Olympic Games.
Injuries and form soon caught up to Ponor. She competed in both the 2005 and 2007 World Championships, but she was unable to replicate the success she saw in Athens. Romania failed to win a team medal in 2005, and Ponor failed to win an individual medal in 2007. She retired due to injuries after the 2007 season, and was unable to represent Romania in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing
While this is where most gymnasts' careers would end, Ponor was unsatisfied with how things ended. Romania won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, keeping together a medal streak that extends all the way back to 1972, but Romanian gymnastics as a whole started to struggle with the loss of Ponor. Ponor had minor heart surgery in 2011 to fix a birth defect, and began to train with the national team coaches later that year. She would complete her (first) comeback at the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo.
Prior to the 2012 Olympics, Ponor set a record at the European Championships when she won a gold medal on the balance beam. She became the gymnast who has won the balance beam gold medal the most times at the European Championships, having previously won in 2004, 2005, and 2006. She would lead Romania to a bronze medal in the team event at the 2012 Olympics, and pick up an individual silver medal in the floor exercise. Ponor looked to win a bronze in the balance beam, as well, but a controversial tie score with American Aly Raisman lead to a tiebreaker, which Raisman won. Still, Ponor left London expecting it to be her last meet, and she said at the time that she "quit without any regrets" and that she left gymnastics "with her chin up."
Glasgow will be her first international competition since the London Olympics, so there is a lot of question as to how good Ponor will be. While many may doubt, Ponor proved in her most recent comeback that she is able to quickly get back into shape. Ponor went four years without competing in an international competition the last time, and she returned as one of the best gymnasts in the world. Seeing how smart and prideful Ponor is, there is no chance that she would make a return to the biggest stage unless she knew she had what it took to help her team and her country.
If Ponor can get back to the level she competed at in 2012, Romania may be Team USA's biggest foe over the next two years as Russia and China recovers from injuries. Romania's Larisa Iordache is currently the best non-American gymnast in the world, and was Simone Biles' closest competitor at last year's World Championships. The one-two combination of Iordache and Ponor could lead to a team medal and, depending on how Ponor does in her return, could lead to Romania challenging the Americans.
If Ponor makes the team for Rio, which is likely, she will become the first Romanian to make three Olympic teams. There is no doubt that Ponor's goal is not only to make the Olympics, but to experience glory once again. In an Instagram post from two days ago, Ponor showed a picture of herself working hard, as well as a caption that could easily be her catchphrase moving forward:
"Back in business baby."