Annaliese Dragan Explained

Annaliese Dragan
Fullname:Annaliese Dragan
Birth Date:15 September 2005
Birth Place:Orange County, United States
Discipline:Rhythmic gymnastics
Level:Senior Elite
Natlteam:2020–present
Club:Sportul Studentesc Bucuresti[1]
Headcoach:Irina Deleanu
Show-Medals:yes

Annaliese Dragan (born September 15, 2005) is a Romanian-American rhythmic gymnast.[2] Along with teammate Andreea Verdes, she was the first Romanian gymnast in 26 years to qualify for the apparatus finals at the World Championships in 2022. She is competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Women's rhythmic individual all-around.

Personal life

Dragan trains at her mother's gym in Irvine, California and has also lived and trained in Romania since she was 13.[3] [4] [5] Her younger sister Christina Dragan is also a rhythmic gymnast.

Career

Junior

Dragan was named to the USA Gymnastics National Team of 2018-2019.[6]

In 2019, she changed nationality and began competing for the Romanian Federation.[7] Her first international competition for Romania was the 2020 European Championships in Kiyv, Ukraine. She was 9th in the all-around and qualified for the rope, clubs and ribbon finals.[8]

Senior

Dragan competed with clubs and ribbon at the 2021 Pesaro World Cup. She also competed at the World Challenge Cup in Cluj-Napoca, where she placed 8th in the hoop final. In June she was part of the team that competed at the European Championship in Varna, Bulgaria with teammates Andreea Verdes and Denisa Mailat.[9] Later in the year, she was also selected for the World Championship in Kitakyushu, Japan, where she ended in 22nd place in the all-around qualification and failed to advance to the final.

In 2022, Dragan became Romania's second gymnast and inaugurated her season with the World Cup in Palaio Faliro, where she qualified for the hoop and clubs final. She then competed at the World Cup stage in Sofia. She was again selected again for the 2022 European Championship in Tel Aviv, Israel, together with Verdes for the senior team and Amalia Lică and Dragan's sister Christina for the junior team. She placed 20th in the all-around final.

In September, she competed at the 2022 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She placed 12th in the all-around qualifications and qualified to the final, where she ended in 18th place because of mistakes with clubs. Dragan qualified to three apparatus finals, placing 8th in ball, 7th in clubs and 6th in ribbon.[10]

At the World Championships in 2023 she competed with pain in her left ankle, an issue that had been bothering her for several years. She qualified for the all-around final in 17th place. This earned Romania a spot at the 2024 Olympic Games, the first since Ana Luiza Filiorianu in 2016.[11] [12] Dragan described seeing her scores as "the best moment of my life".

In 2024, Dragan competed at the World Cup stage in Sofia, where she finished in 21st in the all-around. At the 2024 European Championships, she qualified for the all-around final and came in 21st place.[13]

Routine music information

!Year!Apparatus!Music Title
2024HoopHuman by Rag'n'Bone Man
BallJe Me Souviens by Lara Fabian
ClubsGreat Spirit (feat. Hilight Tribe) by Armin van Buuren and Vini Vici
RibbonRoyal Blood by Caleb Swift
2023HoopEhyeh by Alessandro Safina
BallDomestic Pressures by Jóhann Jóhannsson
ClubsGreat Spirit (feat. Hilight Tribe) by Armin van Buuren and Vini Vici
RibbonLa boda de Luis Alfonso
2022HoopUnstoppable by E.S. Posthumus
BallDomestic Pressures by Jóhann Jóhannsson
ClubsThat Man by Caro Emerald
RibbonLa boda de Luis Alfonso
2021HoopYou're X-Men/End Titles by John Ottman
BallThe Heat by Peter Gabriel
ClubsThat Man by Caro Emerald
RibbonGrand Central by Patrick Doyle
2020RopeWake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!
BallRhapsody in Rock VI by Robert Wells
ClubsNo Hay Problema by Pink Martini
RibbonGrand Central by Patrick Doyle

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Annaliese Dragan FIG profile . FIG . English.
  2. Web site: DRAGAN Annaliese - FIG Athlete Profile . 2023-05-26 . www.gymnastics.sport.
  3. Web site: Berg . Tom . 2024-05-07 . Irvine gymnast bound for Summer Olympics . 2024-06-11 . www.irvinestandard.com . en-US.
  4. Web site: Hațieganu . Alexandru . 27 October 2023 . Annaliese Drăgan, dezvăluire plină de durere. Sacrificiul pe care îl face zi de zi românca născută în California . Annaliese Drăgan, a painful disclosure. The sacrifice that the Romanian born in California makes every day . 2024-06-11 . Sport.ro . ro.
  5. Web site: Fleşeru . Roxana . 25 August 2023 . Gimnasta de ritmică Annaliese Drăgan a devenit a șaptea componentă a delegației României pentru Jocurile Olimpice de la Paris . Rhythmic gymnast Annaliese Drăgan became the seventh member of the Romanian delegation for the Olympic Games in Paris . 2024-06-11 . GSP . ro.
  6. Web site: Past Rhythmic Junior National Teams. June 12, 2024. USA Gymnastics.
  7. Web site: Official News from the Executive Committee meeting in Lausanne. July 11, 2019. FIG.
  8. Web site: Gimnastică ritmică: Anneliese Drăgan, calificată în trei finale la Europenele de junioare de la Kiev . Romanian . November 27, 2020.
  9. Web site: PARTICIPANTS – 37th Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships . 2022-06-13 . en-US .
  10. Web site: Annaliese Drăgan, pe locul 18 în finala individuală de la Campionatele Mondiale de Gimnastică Ritmică . September 17, 2022 . 2023-05-25 . Romanian.
  11. Web site: 2023 World Championships Result Book . gym.longinestiming.com . PDF.
  12. Web site: Roman . Comitetul Olimpic si Sportiv . 2018 . Annaliese Drăgan, vis împlinit - s-a calificat la Jocurile Olimpice . 2023-09-14 . www.cosr.ro . en.
  13. Web site: 25 May 2024 . Annaliese Drăgan, locul 21 la individual compus la Europene . Annaliese Drăgan, 21st place in individual all-around at the European Championships . agerpres.ro . ro.