Sandra Izbaza claimed the Olympic title in women's floor exercise on Sunday, the first gold won by the Romanian gymnastic team in the Beijing Olympics.
It was the first time for Izbaza to stand atop the Olympic podium. That continued the winning legend of Romanian women gymnast Catalina Ponor in the event four years ago at the Athens Olympics.
As the last one to compete, Izbaza did not show any sign of nervousness. With lofty tumbling and solid landing, the 18-year-old girl secured her leading stance by gaining 15.650 points. The difficulty of her routine was 6.5, the highest among eight contenders. That placed Izbaza in an advantageous position.
Shawn Johnson from the United States defeated her teammate Nastia Liukin and bagged the silver. The bronze went to Liukin who scored 15.425 points, with a gap of 0.075 point with Johnson.
"The all-around was the greatest feeling and making floor finals was very exciting. I have two finals left and I am excited for those too," said Liukin.
Johnson told reporters after the competition, "I have really enjoyed today's competition. I stayed calm and had a great time out there. I released the pressure and stress of this competition during the individual all-around and just went out there."