Currans Hill resident Dana Turner reflects on days as a Romanian Olympic champion

DANA Beck lost interest in gymnastics when she approached the governing body of the sport in Australia.

DANA Beck lost interest in gymnastics when she approached the governing body of the sport in Australia, and was told she needed a Level 1 certificate to be able to coach.

A world champion in vault, a teams world champion, an Olympic silver medallist, an Olympic-qualified judge and former coach of the Guatemalan Olympic team, Beck was insulted.

"That is what 16-year-olds do over a weekend, a Level 1 certificate, and on Monday they can coach," she said.

Instead, the former Romanian gymnast who trained and competed alongside Nadia Comaneci, quietly disappeared into suburbia.

Beck (formerly Dana Turner) met her Australian husband in Guatemala and they moved to Port Macquarie on the mid-north coast, before relocating to Currans Hill in early 2000.

After her experience with gymnastic officials, Beck decided a new direction was in order. She trained as an accountant, and now works out of home in her own business, "Dana's Taxation Services".

"I was upset with the Romanian system, then the Australian system," she said. "So I keep under the radar and mind my own business.

"I have a new life."

The 45-year-old admits most of her gymnastics memorabilia is packed away in drawers.

Yet she's happy to reminisce about those golden but incredibly hard days when in this sport, Romania ruled world gymnastics. 

"I did gymnastics for 18 years. I was a world champion, won two medals at worlds and a silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics," Beck said.

"Sometimes I feel it came at a price; I had no childhood.

"But I was one of the lucky ones. I had some achievements. For many, nothing."

Beck left her hometown when she was selected in the Romanian Olympic squad at 13.

"I had no choice, I was part of the system," she said.

"But the coaches were right . . . in a couple of years I was a world champion," she said.

"I've asked myself 'was it worth it?'. Of course it was, but many times I just wanted a normal childhood."