Romania has yet
again earned a top position among Europe’s weightlifting elite. In 2022 the
Romanian athletes were unable to participate in the European Championships held
in Albanian capital Tirana. We recall the Romanian Weightlifting Federation was
banned from participating in international competitions because of reported violation
of anti-doping rules on a number of occasions. In
2023, the Romanian delegation returned from Yerevan with 14 medals. Nine of the
medals were gold, being won by Mihaela Cambei, in the 49-kilogram
category, Andreea Cotruţa, in the 55-kilogram category and Loredana Toma, in
the 71-kilogram category. Each of
the athletes won three medals, in the snatch style, in the clean-and-jerk style,
and combined. Also in the women’s version of the championships, in the 45-kilogram
category, Cosmina Pană walked away with silvering the snatch style, and
combined. In the men’s version of the competition, in the 55-kilogram category,
Valentin Iancu won silver in the clean and jerk style and bronze in the snatch
style and combined. Cambei and Cotruţa won their medal in the first days of the
competition, on April 15 and 16. Since Loredana Toma stepped onto a step of the
podium in Wednesday, Radio Romania International designated her the Athlete of
the week.
In Yerevan, Toma dominated the competition in the snatch style, winning
gold, with a deadlift of 110 kilograms. Silver went to Italy’s Giulia Miserendino with 105 kilograms, while bronze went to Germany’s
Lisa Marie Schweize, who succeeded a deadlift of 103 kilograms. Loredana also won gold in the clean and jerk
style, with 130 kilograms. British competitor Sarah
Davies won silver, with a deadlift of 126 de kilograms, while the Italian Miserendino
walked home with bronze, with 125 kilograms. Therefore, combined, Loredana Toma
won gold, with 240 kilograms, being followed by Miserendino, with 230 and Davies, 226 kilograms.
Loredana Toma was
born on May 10, 1995 in the northern Romania town of Botosani. Earlier in her career she won several gold
medals in European juniors and youth championships. Also in European competitions,
as a senior competitor, in 2013 in 2014, Loredana won silver in the 58-kilogram
category. Over 2014 and 2016 she was banned from competition, having tested positive
for stanozolol. Beginning with the European Championships in Croatia, held in
April 2017, Loredana Toma dominated the 63-kilogram category, in the snatch but
also in the clean and jerk style. Loredana confirmed her standing at the World
Championships in Anaheim in December 2017, where she won three more gold medals. At
the 2018 edition of the European Championships in Bucharest, Loredana also won
gold. Then in 2019, Loredana won three gold medals at the European Championships
in Batumi. At the World Championships held in Thailand, also in 2019, Loreana
Toman won bronze medals in the 64-kilogram category, in the clean-and-jerk
style, and combined. In 2021, also in the 64-kilogram category, Loredana won
three gold medals at the European Championships in Moscow. Unfortunately, after
the International Weightlifting Federation officially
banned the Romanian Federation from taking part in competition for one year, on
account of anti-doping rules violation on a number of occasions, Loredana was
unable to take part in the 2021 edition of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, were she
ranked as favorite in the 64-kilogram category. Loredana had a vigorous
comeback in 2022, when she had no problem winning all three medals in the 71-kilogram
category at the World Championships in Bogota.