Moceanu Withdraws from Gymnastics Trials

B O S T O N, Aug. 17, 2000 -- Dominique Moceanu overcame the bitter split with

her parents and the years of bouncing from gym to gym and coach to

coach. In the end, though, it was her body that betrayed her.

The youngest member of the Magnificent Seven withdrew from theOlympic trials late Wednesday night because of a bone chip in herright knee.

“The hardest part after talking to her was, ‘I’ve worked sohard. I’ve put so much into this comeback,’” said Mary Lee Tracy,Moceanu’s coach.

Hurt and Dejected

Moceanu, 18, had surgery on the same knee last year, and thebone chip came about gradually, Tracy said. Moceanu’s knee gave outduring practice Tuesday, and the pain worsened.

By Wednesday morning, she could barely train and her knee gaveout on her periodically. In afternoon workouts, she could onlymanage some simple sit-ups and handstands while the rest of thegymnasts went through their full routines for competition, whichbegins Friday night.

She quit practice early, watching from the sidelines with adejected look on her face.

“This isn’t something that’s just going to get better,” shesaid then. “It needs to get fixed.”

Dislodged Chip Caused Pain

She was right.

Though initial tests didn’t show any problems, the bone chip wasdiscovered when doctors spoke with the orthopedic surgeon whooperated on her knee last year. The chip had dislodged itself,preventing Moceanu from even being able to bend or straighten herknee.

She is expected to fly back to Cincinnati on Monday and havesurgery next week.

“It wasn’t really so much an accident. It just startedhurting,” Tracy said. “It had been a little bit of nagging achesand pain, but these kids have so much of that they never know whenit’s the beginning of something. It was the beginning ofsomething.”

Moceanu was not immediately available for comment. She wasexpected to hold a news conference today.

Longshot With Hope

She becomes the second of the five still competing members ofthe Magnificent Seven to drop out of the trials. Jaycie Phelpswithdrew last week because of chronic knee problems.

After finishing eighth at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships lastmonth, Moceanu was a long shot to make the six-woman Olympic team.But after all she’s endured the last four years, she wasn’t aboutto give up.

“She knew she was a far way out. Not one day did she ever comein like, ‘Oh geez, I’m never going to make it,’” Tracy said. “She was going to do this new vault. She’d [made] some changes and really wasgoing to make a great showing.

“Of course [losing] the opportunity to make the Olympic teamwas disappointing. But you train to perform. She trained, and she’snot going to be able to perform.”

Personal Problems in Recent Years

Since being part of the first American women’s team to winOlympic gold, Moceanu’s life has been filled with disappointmentand trouble. Just two years after the Atlanta Olympics, her lifebecome tabloid fodder when she ran away from home and asked to bedeclared a legal adult, accusing her parents of squandering hermoney.

A month later, she was back in court asking for a protectiveorder against her father, Dumitru, who allegedly inquired abouthaving two of her friends killed. Dumitru Moceanu, who denied theaccusations, was ordered to stay away from his daughter for a year.The order was lifted five months later.

The gymnast reached a settlement with her parents in April 1999in a Houston court. The family has slowly reconciled, but theturmoil took a toll on her career. She bounced around the countrysearching for a coach and hadn’t trained seriously for about twoyears when she arrived at Tracy’s gym in January. She’d also grownnine inches and gained 40 pounds, and national coordinator BelaKarolyi often questioned her durability and fitness.

But she’d improved steadily in the last few months, and washoping to make a big move at the Olympic trials. Instead, she’ll beleft at home to figure out what her future holds while herteammates head for Sydney.

“She doesn’t need to make any decisions right now. She justkind of needs to grieve this,” Tracy said. “She doesn’t know whatshe wants to do. But she’s certainly not talking about, ‘OK, thisis my retirement.’”