It was Romania's last Olympic appearance as a team until 2024. Since then, the teenagers are in Paris to revive the reputation of the country's once mighty gymnastics programme.

Gymnastics has brought Romania 72 medals, more than any other sport, but the last gold came in 2004. Maneca-Voinea is Romania's brightest hope at Paris 2024. She won two silver medals at the 2024 European Veterans Championships on the balance beam and floor exercise. She will be hoping to repeat her success in Paris.

"I really want medals on beam and floor. We have been very happy because we brought Romania to the Olympics again after 12 years. And that's why we spend every day in the gymnastics hall and we work hard," said Voinea to AFP.

The head coach Patrick Kiens took the National in 2023, when most of the team were injured. “There were facilities that needed to be renovated, the medical department was not good," said Kiens.

Maneca-Voinea's mother, Camelia Voinea, a silver medallist at the 1988 Olympic Games, believes that the national team will overcome the difficulties step by step.

The facility - with holes in the parquet at the entrance -will be renovated after the Olympics. Voinea herself only returned to training in July after suffering an inflammation in her leg. 

"I grit my teeth and move on," said the athlete who was determined not to miss the Games.

According to her mum, Voinea told her doctor that she's definitely not skipping the Olympics, saying "If I need to compete in one leg, I will."

The women's qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris began in the early hours of 28 July. The Romanian athletes competed in the first subdivision. After two subdivisions, Maneca-Voinea is in fourth place on the balance beam and in third place on the floor, and has a good chance of qualifying for the final.