Radio România Internațional

Tag: Aquatics

  • August 18, 2022 UPDATE

    August 18, 2022 UPDATE

    VISIT
    Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday paid a visit to Prague at
    the invitation of his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky as this country is presently
    holding the EU rotating presidency. Talks focused on prospects of deepening the
    bilateral political-diplomatic dialogue as well as strengthening the sectoral
    cooperation in fields of mutual interest such as energy, transport, logistics,
    tourism and agriculture. The two ministers also referred to the joint
    objectives at European level in the wake of the Summit in Madrid and before the
    upcoming NATO Foreign Ministers meeting Romania is to host in autumn. The two
    sides discussed the multidimensional impact of the Russian aggression against
    Ukraine. The two ministers had an exchange of opinions on the regional
    security, the situation of the Ukrainian refugees and the impact on other key
    issues such as food safety and energy security. Topical issues on the European
    agenda were also discussed and Minister Lipavsky reiterated his country’s
    staunch support for Romania’s Schengen accession.








    COVID-19 On Thursday Romania’s Health
    Ministry announced 55 hundred new cases of Covid-19. 35 hundred people are
    presently being treated in hospitals out of whom 269 in ICUs. 24 related
    fatalities have also been reported in the past 24 hours.






    CHAMPION Romanian swimmer
    David Popovici, gold medalist in the 100m and 200m freestyle events, was named
    the best athlete in the men’s swimming events at the European Aquatics
    Championships in Rome, according to the Romanian Swimming and Modern Pentathlon
    Federation. In a score-based ranking, following the best performances in the
    competition, David Popovici came in first in the men’s category with 1,003
    points, while in the women’s category the Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte was the
    first with 985 points. David Popovici, 17, became, on Saturday, in Rome, the
    world record holder in the 100 m freestyle race with 46 seconds and 86
    hundredths. Later, on Monday, he also won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle
    event. With 1 minute 42 seconds and 97 hundredths, he set, also in this event,
    a new world and European record.




    ATHLETICS Romanian
    athlete Bianca Florentina Ghelber won the gold medal in the hammer throw event,
    on Wednesday, at the European Athletics Championships in Munich. Ghelber,32, who
    ranked sixth at the Tokyo Olympics last year, won the final in Munich with
    72.72 meters, ahead of the Polish Ewa Rozanska, 72.12 m, and the Italian Sara
    Fantini, 71.58 m. Thus, Romania won the first continental gold medal in
    athletics after a break of 20 years. Also in Munich, Romania secured new medals
    at the individual European Table Tennis Championships, in the women’s doubles
    event. Four Romanians are in the semifinals, the phase that secures the bronze
    medals, so there will definitely be at least one player in the finals. Romania
    has already got a silver medal at the European Table Tennis Championships in
    the mixed doubles event, won by Bernadette Szocs and Ovidiu Ionescu.


    (bill)

  • David Popovici, Romania’s new hero

    David Popovici, Romania’s new hero

    Red carpet, officials and fans, lots of flowers, smiles, hugs and speeches – that was the atmosphere on Sunday night, when the Romanian delegation returned from the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. The man who stole the show was the 17-year-old David Popovici, who made history in Budapest. At his first debut in suchlike events he was the first in the past 49 years to have become world champion in the 100 and 200-meter freestyle races. In Budapest, Popovici has also set two new world records for junior competitions. His team mate, Robert Glinta, has occupied the fifth position in the 50-meter backstroke race coming eighth in the 100-meter backstroke event. The double world champion has thanked all the fans for supporting him and confessed that he wants his performance to inspire many people to take up sports.



    David Popovici: “I would like to thank all those who believed in me, who have been supporting me and would also like to thank all the Romanians who were thrilled to watch my race on telly, to all those who came in person to watch me. It was superb in Budapest and I know that many would like to be in my place knowing they have the support of so many people. I am sincerely honored to represent this beautiful country and feel you are by my side.”


    David Popovici received 200,000 Euros worth of prize from the Romanian government, while president Klaus Iohannis decided to award the double world champion with the highest national order, Romanian Star in rank of knight and coach Adrian Radulescu with the national order of Merit in rank of knight.



    David is the model and hes going to motivate the entire country. We have the duty to build swimming pools, encourage this sport so that we may have many champions,” Sports Minister Eduard Novak has said. “The Romanian sport is in need of many things and the World Championships in Budapest should stimulate the government to invest in infrastructure” – says Camelia Potec, president of the Federation of Swimming and Modern Pentathlon.



    The opinion is shared by many who have repeatedly pointed to the shortage of funds in several sporting disciplines which led to weaker and weaker results in international competitions, where athletes from Romania used to be a force to be reckoned with. Even the world champion David Popovici himself said quote: ʺHopefully, the wave I have created will help the Romanian sport to make headway, because it clearly can do with a little bit of resuscitation.” This is a busy period for David who will next participate in the European Junior Championships in Romania, due over July 5 and 10, the European Championships in Italy and the World Junior Championships in Peru.


    (bill)

  • Gold for Romanian Swimming

    Gold for Romanian Swimming

    Romanian David Popovici is the new star of the
    world swimming after his victory in the 200-meter freestyle race of the World Aquatics
    Championships in Budapest on Monday night. The Romanian ended the race in one
    minute, 43 seconds and 21 hundredths, setting a new world record for junior
    contests.




    Popovici, who is only 17, has thus started off
    on the right foot in world competitions with a new title won in Olympic-size
    swimming pools. We recall that Tamara Costache also reaped gold for Romania in
    the 50-meter freestyle race in 1986 while Diana Mocanu became gold medalist in
    the 200-meter backstroke race in 2001. Romania now boasts three gold medals in
    these competitions, one silver and six bronze.




    Popovici, who signed up with Dinamo Bucharest
    sports club was followed by Sunwoo Hwang of South Korea and by Tom Dean of
    Britain in the race. According to sports papers, Popovici lived up to his
    status of odds-on favourite of the competition in Hungary. Popovici’s win is
    all the more so impressive as he managed to outperform Tom Dean, Olympic
    champion in Tokyo, where the Romanian came only fourth. US publication Swimming
    World Magazine wrote quote ‘there was a feeling that here was a talent as rare
    and as impactful as Ian Thorpe of Michael Phelps.




    According to Romanian TV channel Digi 24,
    Popovici shot to fame in July last year in Italy after he had won the European junior
    title in the 100-meter freestyle race with such a good time that brought him
    plane tickets for Tokyo Olympics. He was also voted the youngest athlete in
    Europe in 2021 being awarded the 2021 Piotr Nurowski ‘Best Summer European
    Young Athlete Prize during a ceremony held in Samorin, Slovakia at the General
    Assembly of the European Olympic Committees.


    Gazeta Sporturilor recalls that the time
    Popovici ended the race in Budapest is the fourth best in the history of the
    200-meter freestyle race. Only world-record holder Paul Biedermann and the
    legendary Michael Phelps and Yannick Agnel managed better scores. Popovici’s
    win is the best in the past decade. People at home believed in me! The medal
    is for them the athlete said shortly after his victory. For David Popovici the
    contest in Budapest is only the first major competition this summer as he is to
    also attend the European Junior Swimming Championships in Romania next month, the
    European Championships in Rome in August and the world Junior Swimming
    Championships in Lima in late August and early September.


    (bill)