Dănuț Grecu (26 September 1950 – 12 December 2024) was a Romanian artistic gymnast who specialised in rings. In 1974 he became Romania’s first world champion in artistic gymnastics and was named Romanian Athlete of the Year.[2][3] Grecu competed at the 1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1976;[1] he had to withdraw from the 1980 Olympics due to a muscle tear sustained on the rings.[2] In addition to his 1974 gold medal he won two world and two European medals on the rings.[4][5] He retired due to injuries to his shoulder and biceps sustained in training while preparing to the 1980 Olympics.[6]
| Dan Grecu | |
|---|---|
 Grecu in 1976 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Dănuț Grecu |
| Born | 26 September 1950 Bucharest, Romania[1] |
| Died | 12 December 2024 (aged 74) Brașov, Romania |
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 66 kg (146 lb) |
| Gymnastics career | |
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics |
| Country represented |  Romania |
| Club | CS Dinamo București[2] |
| Head coach(es) | Octav Ungureanu Mircea Badulescu[2] |
| Retired | 1980 |
Grecu was one of five siblings of a border guard officer. At the age of 12 he took up gymnastics because he loved climbing anything hanging around, like ropes and tree branches.[6] After retiring from competitions Grecu had a long career as gymnastics coach with the national team.[2] Grecu was married to a fellow gymnastics coach Elena Grecu. They had two children: a daughter Simona and a son Bogdan.[6]
Grecu died on 12 December 2024, at the age of 74.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Dan Grecu". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Danut Grecu. Romanian Olympic Committee
- ^ Gymn-Forum Dănuț Grecu
- ^ Gymn-Forum 1975 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships Men’s Events Finals
- ^ Gymn-Forum 1973 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships Men’s Events Finals
- ^ a b c Despre mine. dangrecu.ro
- ^ Dima, Maria (13 December 2024). "Dan Grecu, fostul mare gimnast al României, a murit la 74 de ani". EVZ. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
External links
edit
- Official website (in Romanian)
- Danut Grecu at the International Gymnastics Federation
- Danut Grecu at Olympics.com
- Danut Grecu at the Comitetul Olimpic și Sportiv Român (in Romanian) (archived)
- Dan Grecu at Olympedia (archive)
