Celestina Popa
{{short description|Romanian artistic gymnast}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox gymnast
| name = Celestina Popa
| image = Celestina Popa.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption =
| fullname = Celestina Stefania Popa
| altname =
| nickname =
| country = {{flagcountry|Socialist Republic of Romania}}
| formercountry =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|7|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Ploiești, Romania{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Celestina Popa |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/po/celestina-popa-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203195815/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/po/celestina-popa-1.html |archive-date=3 December 2016}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = 145 cm
| discipline = WAG
| level =
| natlteam =
| club =
| gym =
| collegeteam =
| headcoach = Adrian Goreac, Maria Cosma, Octavian Bellu[http://www.cosr.ro/sportiv/celestina-popa Celestina Stefania Popa]. Romanian Olympic Committee
| assistcoach =
| choreographer =
| music =
| eponymousskills = Popa (floor)
| retired = 1989
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games}}
{{MedalSilver|1988 Seoul|Team competition}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalGold|1987 Rotterdam|Team competition}}
{{MedalSilver|1985 Montreal|Team competition}}
}}
Celestina Stefania Popa-Toma (born 12 July 1970) is a retired Romanian artistic gymnast, who competed internationally between 1985 and 1988.[http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/popa_c.html Gymn-Forum] Celestina Popa She is an Olympic silver medalist and a world gold and silver medalist with the team. She is best known for her eponymous straddle pike jump with full turn on floor{{cite web |url=http://www.flickagymclub.com/coaches/reccoach.php |publisher=Flicka Gymnastics |title=Coaches: Celestina Popa |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007070848/http://www.flickagymclub.com/coaches/reccoach.php |archivedate=7 October 2008}}{{cite web |url=http://www.sportcentric.com/vsite/vnavsite/page/directory/0,10853,5187-188050-205272-nav-list,00.html |publisher=FIG |title=Women's artistic Gymnastics. Code of points 2009-2012, page 167 |access-date=3 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721181920/http://www.sportcentric.com/vsite/vnavsite/page/directory/0,10853,5187-188050-205272-nav-list,00.html |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead}} as well as for her flexibility and style.{{cite news |url=http://www.intlgymnast.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=990:celestina-popa-jumps-into-gym-ownership&catid=2:news&Itemid=53 |work=International Gymnast Magazine |title=Celestina Popa Jumps into Gym Ownership |first=John |last=Crumlish |date=24 June 2009}}
Career
In 1984 Popa placed second at the Romanian Junior Nationals and she became a member of the national team. In 1985 she was a member of the silver medal-winning team at the 1985 World Championships. Also in 1985, she was the all around champion, vault and beam gold medalist at the International Chunichi Cup in Japan.
Together with Aurelia Dobre, Camelia Voinea, Eugenia Golea, Daniela Silivaș and Ecaterina Szabo, Popa was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 1987 World Championships in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In 1988 she won the silver medal with the team at the Olympics and placed tenth all around in the preliminaries.
Eponymous skill
Popa has one eponymous skill listed in the Code of Points.{{cite web |title=2022-2024 Code of Points Women’s Artistic Gymnastics |url=https://www.gymnastics.sport/publicdir/rules/files/en_WAG%20CoP%202022-2024.pdf |website=International Gymnastics Federation |access-date=22 January 2022 |pages=152, 211 |archive-date=12 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512092714/https://www.gymnastics.sport/publicdir/rules/files/en_WAG%20CoP%202022-2024.pdf |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – 2025-2028 Code of Points |url=https://www.gymnastics.sport/publicdir/rules/files/en_1.1%20-%20WAG%20COP%202025-2028.pdf |website=International Gymnastics Federation |date=22 April 2024 |access-date=2 February 2025}}
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Apparatus | Name | Description | Difficulty{{efn|name=difficulty|Valid for the 2025–2028 Code of Points}} |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor exercise | Popa | Straddle pike jump with 1/1 turn (360°) | C (0.3) |
{{notelist}}
Post retirement
After retiring from competitions in 1989 she studied at a sport school in Bucharest until 1991, and in 1994 graduated from university with a degree in physical education. She hold the National Romanian Coaching Certification Level III. Popa has been coaching since 1991, and since 1994 she has been a recreational coach at Flicka Gymnastics in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is married to fellow former Romanian gymnast Flaviu Toma, who was a longtime head coach and technical director at Flicka. In 2009, she opened her own gym "Celestina Popa Gymnastics" in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada.
References
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Celestina Popa}}
- {{COSR|new_id=popa-celestina-stefania|name=Celestina Stefania Popa|old_id=celestina-popa}}
- {{Olympics.com|celestina-popa|Celestina Popa}}
- {{Olympedia|name=Celestina Popa}}
- {{FIG|bio=65370|name=Celestina Popa}}
- [http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/popa_c.html Celestina Popa at gymn-forum.net]
- [http://www.celestinapopagymnastics.com/index.html Celestina Popa Gymnastics]
{{NavigationWorldChampionsArtisticGymnasticsWomenTC|1987}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Popa, Celestina}}
Category:Romanian female artistic gymnasts
Category:Olympic gymnasts for Romania
Category:Olympic silver medalists for Romania
Category:Olympic medalists in gymnastics
Category:Gymnasts at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Category:Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Category:Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics