Andreea Mădălina Răducan (Romanian pronunciation: [anˈdree̯a rəduˈkan]; born 30 September 1983) is a retired gymnast from Bârlad, Romania.

She was also the original winner of the all-around title, but was disqualified and stripped of her gold medal shortly after the competition concluded, when it was revealed that she had failed doping controls, testing positive for pseudoephedrine, a banned substance.

The case generated a significant amount of media attention, and Răducan was supported by members of the gymnastics community and the Romanian public.

Răducan herself was exonerated of any personal wrongdoing by the CAS, the Romanian Olympic Committee and the International Gymnastics Federation, and was not subject to any disciplinary measures.

In 1996, after winning over twenty medals in local and regional competitions, she was invited to train at the Romanian junior team facility in Onești.

Răducan's first major international event was the 1998 Junior European Championships, where she won a silver medal on the balance beam, tied for bronze on the floor exercise[2] and took fourth place in the all-around.

The next year, she rose to the senior ranks and made an impact at the World Championships in Tianjin, China, winning the floor exercise final and placing fifth in the all-around.

[1] While Răducan's work on the uneven bars was considered weak, her skills on beam, vault and floor exercise were applauded.

She was also admired because, unlike other members of the Romanian team, she showed a great deal of expression in her choreography and a wide variety of complex skills in her routines.

The vault was set 5 centimeters too low, creating a dangerous situation that completely altered the gymnasts' pre- and post-flights.

As a result of the incorrectly set vault, many gymnasts suffered serious crashes and injuries during both the warm-ups and the competition, including Svetlana Khorkina.

When the error was discovered in the third rotation, International Federation of Gymnastics officials reset the vault height and allowed the competition to continue.

She continued through the competition, turning in strong performances on balance beam and floor exercise, and ended up winning the all-around gold medal.

Several days after the competition concluded, the International Olympic Committee announced that Răducan had tested positive for pseudoephedrine, a banned substance.

In the book she published in 2010, Răducan states that a few hours before the competition she had been given Nurofen Cold & Flu, a common over-the-counter medication containing pseudoephedrine, to help treat a fever and cough.

The gold was re-awarded to Amânar, Olaru was promoted to silver, and former fourth-place finisher Liu Xuan from China was given the bronze medal.

While the arbitration panel did concede that Răducan had not gained any advantage by taking the pseudoephedrine, and that she was an underage athlete who had followed her team physician's instructions, they also upheld the IOC's decision.

[8][9][16] Răducan was exonerated of any personal wrongdoing by the Romanian Olympic Committee, and therefore was not subjected to the sporting ban usually imposed on athletes involved in doping cases.

[6][18] The FIG, IOC and ROC all agreed with the punishment and suspension of Dr. Oană, viewing him as the guilty party for administering the banned substance to Răducan and her teammate.

The 2020 "Golden Girl" film, directed by Adrian Robe and Denisa Morariu-Tamas, covers her attempt to reclaim her title.