16-Year-Old Gymnast’s Decade of Dedication, Navigating Challenges of Training Far from Family, Earns Her a Coveted Spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics

A 16-year-old gymnast from Holt, Michigan, is gearing up for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Born to Romanian parents and a dual citizen of both the U.S. and Romania, she will be competing with the Romanian women’s gymnastics team. Which will also serve as the biggest international athletic competition of her life.

Taking up the time to groom herself, she has been training for a decade now. She also followed in her sister’s footsteps for the hot pursuit, who had also taken up gymnastics. As she gears up for the coming year’s biggest competition, eyes will be on her to make her Olympics dream come true.

Great sacrifices for an Olympic dream

Training far from family and home has not been easy for Lilia Cosman, the 16-year-old gymnast, who began her gymnastics journey at the tender age of 4. She left everything behind in America to pursue her dream in Romania. According to Lansing State Journal, despite being born in America, Lilia speaks Romanian. ?At home, my parents speak to me in Romanian,? Lilia said.

She trains about 6 hours a day, balancing schoolwork with hours spent training in the gym. Her parents, Angelica and Emil Cosman remember watching her fall in love with the sport. “It was just it,” Angelica Cosman said. “There was nothing else.” Emil Cosman added that his daughter was a perfectionist; she didn’t just want to try her hand at gymnastics, she wanted to master the sport, even at a young age. And this dedication has shown its colors.

Preparing for the Big Stage

The Olympics has long been an ambition?for?Lilia Cosman, who?practices?for?hours?at?a?time?at?the?gym every?day. Now she’s on her way. Lilia will get the taste of her unwavering training when she travels for the Summer Olympics 2024 in Paris. “It’s a dream come true,” she said. Lilia trains with Liliana Cosma at Deva, who was part of the Romanian National Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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Lilia has already won several medals in Romania, including two silver medals at the National Championships in Bac?u. The young gymnast, whose favorite apparatus is parallel bars and beam, got praise from her coach, Kristin Buese says that Lilia has matured over time. “She’s a beautiful gymnast. She’s come into her own. She’s confident when she’s out on the floor,” Buese said.

As Lilia Cosman prepares for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, her story serves as a testament to the power of dedication, sacrifice, and relentless pursuit of a dream. Despite the challenges of training far from home and family, Lilia?s unwavering commitment to her sport has earned her a coveted spot in the Romanian women?s gymnastics team.

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