Elvire Teza Explained

Elvire Teza
Birth Date:29 March 1981
Birth Place:La Réunion
Residence:Marseille
Discipline:WAG

Elvire Teza (born March 29, 1981) is a retired French gymnast who competed at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. She was the French National Champion in gymnastics in 1997, 1999 and 2000.

Career

Born on the island of Reunion, Teza trained in Marseille under coaches Shi Mao, Lin Xuan and Ma Jun. She made her international debut at the age of thirteen at the Junior European Championships, where she won bronze medals on the balance beam and floor exercise. At the 1996 Junior Europeans, she improved on these results, winning a gold medal on the uneven bars and silver medals with the French team and the beam final. In 1997, Teza became the first (and to date, the only) French gymnast to win the American Cup.

Teza competed at three World Gymnastics Championships, in 1995, 1997 (where she placed 6th on balance beam in event finals) and 1999. She also represented France at the Olympics twice; at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and the 2000 Games in Sydney. In Sydney, Teza became the first French female gymnast ever to qualify for an Olympic event final, placing eighth on the uneven bars.

Teza's beam and bars routines typically combined artistry with extreme difficulty. On the balance beam (coincidentally, an event she was said to dislike) Teza developed two original skills: a full twisting Yurchenko loop to back hip circle and a sideways Yang Bo jump. Both elements are named after her in the Code of Points and are classified as high-difficulty skills (both are E level skills under the code of points in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 periods). On the uneven bars she performed intricate work with German giant swings rarely seen in competition and two of those moves are named after her as well, which are the German giant variations of Pak salto and Bail to Handstand, both are D level skills under the code of points since 2000. Teza's tumbling and vaulting were considered relatively weak compared to her other events, however, on floor exercise she was known for presenting routines with expressive choreography and excellent dance elements.

Teza retired after the 2000 Olympics to pursue her education.

Eponymous skills

Teza has three eponymous skills listed in the Code of Points.[1]

Apparatus Name Description Difficulty
Uneven bars Teza Circle swing to straight salto backwards between bars E
Balance beam Teza Yang Bo (split jump with arched back and head back) from side stand E
Balance beam Teza Back handspring from side stand with full twist to back hip circle E

Competitive history

YearEventTeamAAVTUBBBFX
Junior
1994
align=left 67 6
Senior
1995 align=left China Cup 6
align=left French Championships 4
align=left French International 5 46
align=left Massilia Cup
align=left Pre-Olympics 9
align=left 6 18
1996 align=left French International
align=left 4
align=left 4
align=left Massilia Cup 10
align=left Olympic Games 816
1997 align=left
align=left French Championships
align=left Massilia Cup 64
align=left 6
align=left 5 19 6
1998 align=left 7
align=left China Cup 76 7
align=left 7 8 8
align=left FRA-UKR-ESP Tri-Meet
align=left French International
align=left 3-on-3 International
1999 align=left Coupe Nationales 5
align=left ESP-FRA Dual Meet 5
align=left FRA-AUS Dual Meet
align=left French Championships
align=left French International 9
align=left Massilia Cup 9
align=left Pre-Olympics 16
2000 align=left Coupe Nationales
align=left FRA-GBR-CAN-GER Quad-Meet
align=left Gymnastics Challenge 4
align=left Zenith Tournament 5
align=left Olympic Games 8 8
[2]

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2022-2024 Code of Points Women’s Artistic Gymnastics . . 22 January 2022 . 208–210 . 12 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210512092714/https://www.gymnastics.sport/publicdir/rules/files/en_WAG%20CoP%202022-2024.pdf . dead .
  2. Web site: Elvire Teza (FRA) . Gymn Forum . 1 August 2022 . 16 January 2005.