A former Olympic gymnast has earned social media fame at the age of 47 by showing off her enduring flexibility and acrobatic prowess in a series of awe-inspiring TikTok videos.
Aurelia Dobre, who now lives in Maryland with her husband and their four sons, spent three years competing for Romania in both the Olympics and the world championships – winning a host of medals along the way.
But while the former world champion retired from elite competition years ago, she is proving that she still has some serious gymnastic abilities, one TikTok video at a time.
Woah: Former Olympic gymnast Aurelia Dobre has earned fame on TikTok by showing off her incredible flexibility and acrobatic skills at the age of 47
Flipping fantastic! The mother-of-four competed for Romania at the 1988 Olympics, where she helped the team to win a silver medal
She’s still got it! Now, Aurelia lives in Maryland where she runs her own gym – but she has also become a social media sensation thanks to her impressive gymnastics videos
Superstar: The former world champion boasts an incredible 5.1 million followers on the app
Aurelia regularly posts videos of herself performing gymnastics tricks to the social media app – where she boasts a whopping 5.1 million followers, many of whom regularly share their awe over her skills in the comments section.
A recent clip shared by the mother-of-four showed her completing a ‘challenge’ that calls for users to perform a cartwheel, round-off, one-handed cartwheel, backbend, and a split, all of which she did with no trouble at all.
‘I love this challenge!’ Aurelia – who now runs her own gymnastics and dance academy near her home in Maryland – wrote in the caption of the video, which amassed more than 5.4 million views in a matter of days.
Within minutes hundreds of people had commented on Aurelia’s clip, praising the gymnast for her skills.
‘When a mom of four is more flexible than you!’ one person wrote, while another added: ‘Freaking superwoman making it look hella easy!’
‘Superwoman’: Her gymnastics videos regularly rack up millions of views, and thousands of comments from stunned viewers expressing awe over her skills
Easy peasy! Aurelia recently completed a gymnastics challenge on TikTok, which saw her performing a cartwheel, round-off, one-handed cartwheel, back bend, and a split
Stretchy: She also regularly showcases her flexibility with leg lifts and leaps
Stunned: Many of her followers are left baffled by how Aurelia is able to maintain such an impressively flexible body after so many years
Fans: ‘When a mom of four is more flexible than you!’ one person wrote on a recent video, while another added: ‘Freaking superwoman making it look hella easy!’
‘OMG you’re so talented!’ a third person wrote, while someone else said: ‘Your feet were pointed the whole time… beautiful!’
In other videos shared on the app, Aurelia is seen backflipping across her lawn, popping down into a split, and flaunting her flexibility with impressive leg lifts.
But, while Aurelia’s skills have baffled her social media fans, she insists that her current abilities pale in comparison to her previous talents, writing on one post: ‘My arms [are] not as strong as they used to be!’
Indeed, back in the late 80s, Aurelia was considered one of the top gymnasts in the world, having won a host of world championship medals when she was competing for Romania – including gold in the all-around in 1987.
That was the competition where Aurelia burst onto the scene as one of the world’s finest gymnasts, earning individual medals on three events: gold on the beam, and bronze on the vault and floor.
Family: Aurelia moved to the US in 1991, and she married Iranian gymnastics coach Boz Mofid the following year. The couple has four sons
Family business! All of Aurelia’s children are on TikTok, where the whole family boasts an impressive following
Champion: Aurelia proved herself to be one of the best gymnasts in the world when she won the all-around competition at the 1987 world championships (pictured)
Top notch: In 1988, she helped Romania to win the team silver at the Seoul Olympics, where Aurelia also placed sixth in the all-around competition (pictured)
End of an era: After the 1989 world championships, Aurelia retired from elite competition, after suffering two major injuries and a serious growth spurt
She also scored five perfect-10s at the competition.
The following year, Aurelia competed for Romania at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where she helped to propel the team to a silver medal in the finals, while also finishing sixth place in the all-around competition.
In 1989, she also competed for her country in the world championships, where she once again helped her team to win a silver medal.
Devastatingly, her career was then cut short when Aurelia suffered two major injuries and a serious growth spurt.
In 1991, the gymnastics superstar moved to the US, and one year later she married Iranian gymnastics coach Boz Mofid. The couple have four sons together – Cyrus, Darius, Lucas, and Marcus – and Aurelia now runs her own gym, the Dobre Gymnastics Academy, where she serves as a coach and dance instructor.