Elvire Teza

Elvire Teza
Personal information
Born	(1981-03-29) March 29, 1981 La Réunion
Residence	Marseille
Gymnastics career
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Country represented	France

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.

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

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
Junior
1994
	Junior European Championships		6	7			6
Senior
1995	China Cup		6
	French Championships		4
	French International		5		4		6
	Massilia Cup
	Pre-Olympics		9
	World Championships	6	18
1996	French International
	World Championships				4
	European Championships		4
	Massilia Cup		10
	Olympic Games	8	16
1997	Visa American Cup
	French Championships
	Massilia Cup			6	4
	Mediterranean Games						6
	World Championships	5	19		6
1998	Visa American Cup		7
	China Cup		7	6			7
	European Championships		7		8	8
	FRA-UKR-ESP Tri-Meet
	French International
	3-on-3 International
1999	Coupe Nationales		5
	ESP-FRA Dual Meet		5
	FRA-AUS Dual Meet
	French Championships
	French International		9
	Massilia Cup		9
	Pre-Olympics		16
2000	Coupe Nationales
	FRA-GBR-CAN-GER Quad-Meet
	Gymnastics Challenge		4
	Zenith Tournament				5
	Olympic Games		8		8

Sources

• Teza(Skill on beam)
• Biography and list of competitive results at the French Gymnastics Federation website (in French)
• ABC-TV broadcast of the 1997 World Gymnastics Championships, 1997
• Animation of teza performing her signature skill on beam
• Animation of Teza performing a German giant on the uneven bars