The women's all-around gymnastics champions have often become the darlings of Olympic Games, but that was not the destiny for the 2000 champion. First, the all-around competition was marred by an improperly set vault. Eighteen gymnasts vaulted, including favorite Svetlana Khorkina, before officials noticed the vault was set almost two inches too short. Andreea Raducan then led a Romanian sweep of the medals, but four days later she was under investigation for a positive drug test. The International Olympic Committee disqualified Raducan for taking a cold medicine prescribed by Romania's team doctor that contained the banned stimulant pseudoephedrine. While still considered a champion in Romania, at an Olympics brimming with positive drug tests, the gymnast was simply another disappointing number. And the premier sport of women's gymnastics became just another sport struggling to keep its athletes clean.
