Nickname
Hero de Janeiro, Andy, Andi (Instagram profile, 15 Sep 2019; lr-online.de, 23 Nov 2017; ndr.de, 11 Sep 2017)
Occupation
Athlete
Education
Sport Studies
Family
Partner Daniela Potapova
Spoken languages
English, German, Romanian
Club
TK Hannover [GER] / TV Schwabisch Gmund-Wetzgau [GER]
Coach
Paul Schneider [Gmund-Wetzgau]; Andreas Hirsch [national]; Adrian Catanoiu [personal], ROU (dtb.de, 07 Aug 2018; dtb.de, 08 Jul 2018; tv-wetzgau.de, 23 Dec 2017)
Sporting relatives
His partner Daniela Potapova has represented Germany in rhythmic gymnastics, and competed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. His father Marius Toba competed in artistic gymnastics at international level. He represented Romania at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul before competing for Germany at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and the 2000 Games in Sydney. (SportsDeskOnline, 09 Apr 2020; Instagram profile, 15 Sep 2019)
Injuries
In February 2018 he injured the meniscus in his left knee while at a training camp in the Republic of Korea. (handelsblatt.com, 14 Feb 2018)
He underwent two operations on the meniscus in his right knee in early 2017. (saarbruecker-zeitung.de, 05 Apr 2017; nnn.de, 09 Feb 2017)
He tore the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in his left knee at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (tagesspiegel.de, 28 Sep 2016; spiegel.de, 07 Aug 2016)
He underwent surgery on a meniscus tear in his knee in February 2016. (gymmedia.de, 08 Mar 2016)
Start sporting career
He joined his first training group at age five. (planet-beruf.de, 03 May 2017)
Reason for taking up the sport
His father was an Olympic gymnast and introduced him to the sport. "It was actually impossible for me not to become a gymnast. It was put into my cradle. Not only did I have the example right in front of me, but I also wanted to do it on my own initiative." (gymnastics.sport, 05 Mar 2020; munzinger.de, 01 Oct 2014)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and to become a coach. (svz.de, 26 Sep 2016)
Most influential person in career
His father, and coach Adrian Catanoiu. (Facebook page, 18 Aug 2019; svz.de, 26 Sep 2016)
Awards
He was named 2016 Sportsman of the Year in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. (neuepresse.de, 10 Feb 2017)
Additional information
General
HERO DE JANEIRO
At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro he tore the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in his left knee during his floor routine of the team event. Despite the injury, he competed on the second apparatus [pommel horse], which helped the German team qualify for the final. As a result of his performance, German media dubbed him the 'Hero de Janeiro'. "I wanted to do this for the team. I couldn't compete in the final, but I was there to support the team." (tagesspiegel.de, 28 Sep 2016; spiegel.de, 07 Aug 2016)
FUTURE PLANS
He says he plans to become a gymnastics coach after his competitive career. "The sport has given me so much, and I want to do something in return. Without my coach Adrian Catanoiu I wouldn't be the person that I am today, so to become a coach is my goal." (svz.de, 26 Sep 2016)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In August 2017 he opened a cafe in Hanover, Germany, named 'Hero's', with his friend and restaurateur Murat Yildirim. The cafe has since closed. "We've known each other since we were at nursery school and had already spoken about doing a joint project later in life. We did not have any thought that it should became a Plan B, if I couldn't continue gymnastics. 'Hero's' was like a hobby to us. We tried it. Some things did not go to plan, and we decided to focus on other things." (focus.de, 31 Aug 2017; intlgymnast.com, 01 Oct 2019)
Last update : 2020-04-10
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