By sportswriter Pan Yi

    ATHENS, Aug. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Romanian gymnast Catalina Ponor, who collected three sweet Olympic gold medals in Athens, emerged as the new queen to replace Russian "Icy Beauty" Svetlana Khorkina who would retire after the ongoing Olympics.

    Ponor, 17, a charming 2004 European champion in the team, beam and floor, achieved her second wonderful hat-trick in Athens, winning the beam and floor Monday evening and the team last Tuesday.

    A specialist on the beam and floor, Ponor, in a glistering black outfit, became the centerpiece of the last five individual finals today. When she stepped onto the floor, the last for women gymnasts, all the spectators in the stadium clapped their hands to beat the rhythm of her music.

    And she awarded Romania two more gold medals tonight with 9.787 points on the beam and 9.750 points on the floor where Romania also enjoyed a 1-2 finish.

    "I feel so great today. I hope I can do better in next year's World Championships," said Ponor.

    "The atmosphere was wonderful, simply unique. Winning three gold medals is an amazing feeling. I was not afraid that I was going to lose the gold medal. I supported and cheered for Daniela Sofronie (who came out last but finished second on the floor)."

    Back to the 2004 European Championships, Ponor, who had reaped three silvers at the 2003 Worlds, tasted her first triple golds --the team, beam and floor. No other women gymnast has won so many golds, and no one was capable of beating her winning scores of 9.725 on the beam and 9.700 on the floor.

    A gymnast since age four, Ponor said that the first time she had the faith in herself was when she won the balance beam at a local event at age nine.

    Her hometown of Constantsa, a popular tourist spot along the Black Sea, also produced 2000 Olympic all-around champion Simona Amanar and her teammate Sofronie.

    Khorkina, the triple European and Worlds' individual all-around champions and twice uneven bars Olympic champion, has decided to retire after the Athens Olympics. She fell from the bars on Sunday, finishing in the last of the eight finalists.

    However, the Russian beauty with skills got the silver medal inthe individual all-around final and left the arena with smile.

    And here comes Ponor, with her own style and skill. Enditem