Larisa Iordache

Larisa Iordache
Iordache in 2015
Personal information
Full nameLarisa Andreea Iordache
Nickname(s)Lari, Pikachu, Piciul
Born (1996-06-19) 19 June 1996 (age 28)
Bucharest, Romania
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Years on national team2008–2021 (ROU)
ClubCSS Dinamo
Head coach(es)Octavian Bellu, Mariana Bitang
Former coach(es)Octavian Bellu, Mariana Bitang, Lacramioara Moldovan, Claudiu Moldovan, Gheorghe Orban, Ramona Micu, Adela Popa, Daniel Nistor, Aurica Nistor
ChoreographerCorina Dorean
Music"Exosuit" from The Huntsman: Winter's War
Retired16 December 2021[1]
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 0 1
World Championships 0 2 2
European Championships 7 7 2
Summer Universiade 2 0 1
Total 9 9 6
Representing  Romania
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2014 Nanning All-Around
Silver medal – second place 2014 Nanning Floor Exercise
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Antwerp Floor Exercise
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Glasgow All-Around
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Brussels Team
Gold medal – first place 2012 Brussels Floor Exercise
Gold medal – first place 2013 Moscow Balance Beam
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sofia Team
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sofia Floor Exercise
Gold medal – first place 2020 Mersin Balance Beam
Gold medal – first place 2020 Mersin Floor Exercise
Silver medal – second place 2012 Brussels Balance Beam
Silver medal – second place 2013 Moscow All-Around
Silver medal – second place 2013 Moscow Vault
Silver medal – second place 2013 Moscow Floor Exercise
Silver medal – second place 2014 Sofia Balance Beam
Silver medal – second place 2020 Mersin Team
Silver medal – second place 2020 Mersin Vault
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Sofia Vault
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Cluj-Napoca Balance Beam
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2017 Taipei All-Around
Gold medal – first place 2017 Taipei Floor Exercise
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Taipei Balance Beam
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
All-Around World Cup 3 1 1
Apparatus World Cup 4 2 0
World Challenge Cup 6 1 1
Total 13 4 2

Larisa Andreea Iordache (Romanian pronunciation: [laˈrisa anˈdree̯a jorˈdake]; born 19 June 1996)[2][3] is a Romanian former artistic gymnast. She represented Romania at the 2012 Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal with the team, and at the 2020 Olympic Games.[4]

The Romanian press referred to Iordache as "The New Nadia" as early as 2008, when she was 12, due to her skills and potential. In her first year of competition as a senior, Iordache won two gold medals at the 2012 European Championships, with her team and on floor exercise. She then won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the team competition. Iordache is the 2013 World bronze medalist on floor exercise, the 2014 World silver medalist in the all-around and on floor exercise, and the 2015 World bronze medalist in the all-around.

Iordache was the 2013 European champion on beam, and the most successful gymnast at the 2014 European Championships, winning gold with her team and as an individual on floor exercise, silver on balance beam, and bronze on vault. She won bronze on beam at the 2017 European Championships, held in her home country in Cluj-Napoca. In 2020, she came back from a three-year break to win gold medals on balance beam and floor exercise at the 2020 European Championships, along with a silver with her team and as an individual on vault. Overall, Iordache has won sixteen medals at the European Championships, making her the second most decorated gymnast at the European level behind Svetlana Khorkina.[5] She is also a twelve-time gold medalist in the World Cups and the 2017 Universiade champion in the all-around and on floor exercise.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference retirement was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Basel 2021 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships Results Book" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. European Gymnastics. 25 April 2021. p. 17. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference FIG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Astor, Maggie (3 August 2021). "A Romanian Gymnast Chases Her Nation's Legacy". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  5. ^ "The SmartScoring Shooting Star awards go to … Larisa Iordache (ROU) and Rhys Mcclenaghan (IRL)!". European Gymnastics. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.