Radio România Internațional

Tag: finals

  • Olympic update

    Olympic update

    Romanian athlete Bianca Ghelber came in 9th in the hammer throw finals held as part of the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. Ghelber’s best throw measured 72 de meters and 36 de centimeters. Bianca had claimed her place in the final with the 11th throw in the competition, standing at 71 meters and 42 centimeters. World title holder, Canada’s Camryn Rogers, compelled recognition with a throw of 76 de metres and 97 centimetres.

    It is for the 4th time around when 34-year-old Bianca Ghelber participates in the Olympic Games, In Tokyo in 2021 Ghelber was 6th-placed accordion got the finbal rankings. in the final. At the London Olympics in 2012 Bianca Ghelber ranked 17th, while in 2008 in Beijing Bianca Ghelber was unable to go past the qualifiers. We recall that Romania last won an Olympic medal in athletics in 2008, when Constantina Dita walked away with gold in the marathon.

    Also in news from athletics, on Tuesday Alina Rotaru – Kottmann advanced to the long jump final, with the 9th performance in the qualifiers. Alina’s best jump measured 6 meters and 63 centimeters. World vice-champion, US athlete Tara Davis-Woodhall, managed a jump of 6 meters and 90 centimeters, the best performance in the qualifiers. She was followed by Italy’s Larissa Iapichino with a jump of 6 meters and 87 centimeters. Defending Olympic champion, Germany’s Malaika Mihambo, jumped 6 meters and 86 centimeters. In 2023 at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. lina Rotaru – Kottmann won bronze with a jump of 6 meters and 88 centimeters. The women’s long jump final is scheduled on Thursday.

    On Tuesday, Romanian rowers Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă advanced to the 500m men’s pair race, having come in second in the first quarterfinal. Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă clocked one minute and 40 seconds, being outclassed by Brazil’s Jacky Jamael Nascimento Godmann and Isaquias Guimaraes Queiroz, who clocked one minute, 38 de seconds and 78 hundredths of a second. The semifinals and the final are to be held on Thursday. Romania last won a kayak canoe medal in Sydney in 2000 when Florin Popescu and Mitică Pricop won gold in men’s 1000m pair race and bronze, in the 500m race.

  • Olympic Update

    Olympic Update

    Swimmer David Popovici on Wednesday won the bronze medal in the 100m Olympic race. The winner of the race was China’s Chan Zhanle, who set a new world record 46 seconds and 40 hundredths of a second. The runner-up competitor was Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, who clocked 47 seconds and 48 hundredths of a second. David Popovici came in third, with a timing of 47 seconds and 49 hundredths of a second. For David, it was the second medal he scooped as the ongoing edition of the Olympic Games in Paris, having won gold in the 200m race.

    In rowing, Florin Arteni and Florin Lehaci also on Wednesday advanced to the men’s double sculls final. Arteni and Lehaci already won the first semi-final. The Romanian crew had the lead three quarters of the race and hit the finish line two seconds earlier than the British crew. The final is scheduled on Friday. Romania last won a men’s double sculls Olympic medal in Tokyo, in 2021. Back then the silver medal went to Marius Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă.

    Also qualifying to the final was the lightweight women’s pair, made of Gianina van Groningen, nee Beleagă, and Ionela Cozmiuc. On Wednesday, the Romanian crew succeeded a laid-back win of the second semifinal, arriving more than a second earlier than the Greek crew and also succeeding the best timing of the semifinals. The final is scheduled on Wednesday. In the lightweight women’s pair, Romania last won an Olympic medal in 2004 in Athens, when the gold medal went to Angela Alupei and Constanţa Burcică.

    Also on Friday, the finals are scheduled, of lightweight women’s double sculls, with Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel representing Romania. Vrinceanu and Anghel on Wednesday came in second in the first semifinal. Romania last won a lightweight women’s double sculls Olympic medal in Beijing in 2008. Back then Georgeta Andrunache and Viorica Susanu won gold.

    Romania’ s representatives in table tennis have all been eliminated from the individual competitions. The last Romanian table tennis player to have competed individually, Bernadette Szőcs, was eliminated in the round of 16. 5th-seeded Szocs was defeated by the 15th-seeded competitor in Paris, Moldovan-born Austrian player Sofia Polcanova, 4- nil. We recall that in the mixed doubles, pairing up with Ovidiu Ionescu, Bernadette Szocs came in 5th.Romania will carry on fighting in the nations’ competition, taking on India in the round of 16, on August 5.

  • The Year 2023 in sports (I)

    The year 2023 was eventful and auspicious for Romanian sports in terms of top-flight performance. 2023 has been a pre-Olympic year, so the athletes focused on securing their tickets for the Olympic Games in Paris. At the moment, the Romanian delegation has exceeded the number of 60 athletes. As regards representativity, the final number of athletes will eventually be decided by the international organizations’ ability to solve formalities related to the naturalization of several women athletes.




    Early into 2023, tennis tournaments of the southern hemisphere were held: they preceded the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open in Melbourne. Of the Romanians that took part in the tournament, best-placed was Irina Begu. Irina reached as far as the semi-finals of Adelaide International 1, a WTA 500 tournament, an event with 826,000 USD in prize money. Begu wasted the opportunity to play the final as she sustained a defeat by Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Throughout the year, Sabalenka would become WTA 1st placed tennis player. In the women’s singles in Melbourne, Irina Begu was the only Romanian competitor to reach the second round. Pairing up with Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in the women’s doubles, Monica Niculescu reached as far as the tournament’s round of 16. Best-placed in Melbourne was Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who played the semi-finals jointly with Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.




    In the wake of a long break, a Romanian athlete succeeded a notable result in winter sports. Valentin Crețu in February won the Nations Cup in skeleton sled, a contest held as part of a World Cup stage in Winterberg, Germany.




    As part of Rugby Europe Championship’s Group B, Romania sustained a 20-38 away defeat by Portugal. According to Group B tables, Portugal was at the top, with15 points, while Romania came in second, with 10. In judo, an eight-strong delegation represented Romana at the European Open in Warsaw. Best-placed was Mircea Croitoru, who walked away with gold in the 100+ kilograms category.




    In March, Romanian athletes won two medals at the European Indoor Athletics Championship held in Istanbul. Claudia Bobocea won silver in the 1,500m race, while Gabriel Bitan won bronze in the long-jump event.




    In rugby, Romania came in 3rd at the end of the second-tier competition, Rugby Europe Championship. In the 3rd-place final, in Badajoz, Romania defeated host country Spain, 31 to 25. Also in March, in women’s handball, CSM Bucharest and Rapid Bucharest qualified to the Champions League’s quarterfinals. CSM had secured its straight qualification to the quarterfinals being second-placed in Group A. Rapid was in dire need of a playoff win against Slovenia’s Krim Ljubljana. In the first leg, Krim succeeded a 29-24 home win, In the return leg in Bucharest, Rapid outclassed Krim 30-24 and won the tie, on aggregate. Eventually, Rapid and CSM were defeated in the quarterfinals, by Norway’s Vipers Kristiansand and Team Esbjerg of Denmark, respectively.



    In April, as part of the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami, an event with 8.8 million USD up for grabs, Sorana Cîrstea reached as far as the semi-finals, where she was defeated by Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. However, Cîrstea climbed 33 notches up according to the WTA rankings. At the European Wrestling Championships hosted by Croatia, the Romanian delegation walked home with five medals. Andreea Ana and Alexandra Anghel won gold in the 55-kg and 52-kg categories, respectively. Bronze medals were won by Cătălina Axente in the 76-kg category, Kriszta Incze in the 65-kg category and Denis Mihai in the 55-kg Greek-Roman category. At the European Weightlifting Championships hosted by Yerevan, Romania won 14 medals. Mihaela Cambei, Andreea Cotruța and Loredana Toma won gold medals, in the 49-kg snatch event, 55-kg clean and jerk and 71-kg total categories, respectively. Also in the women’s competition, Cosmina Pană won silver in the 45-kg snatch and total events, while in the men’s 55-kg competition, Valentin Iancu won silver in the clean and jerk event and bronze in the snatch and total events. At the European Gymnastics Championships hosted by Antalya, Turkey, the top performer for Romania was Sabrina Voinea, who won bronze in the floor final and ranked 4th in the vault event. In the men’s competition, Gabriel Burtănete ranked 4th in the vault event, while Andrei Muntean also finished 4th in the parallel bars final.




    In May, the Romanian men’s handball team secured qualification to the European Championships to be held in Germany in January 2024. The Romanian team finished 2nd in preliminary Group 4. Romania had last qualified to a final tournament in 1996. In tennis, Sorana Cîrstea won the WTA 100 tournament in Reus, Spain, totaling 100 thousand EUR in prizes. At the European Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia, Romania won 5 gold medals in 1 silver. On the first day of the finals, the women’s four crew won gold, while the men’s 8+1 crew grabbed silver. On the second day, Ionela Cozmiuc won gold in the women’s lightweight single scull event, whereas Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel won gold in the women’s double-scull event. The defending Olympic champions Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiș won gold for Romania in the women’s pair event, while the women’s 8+1 crew won gold. Romania ranked 2nd in the medals standings after Great Britain.




    In June, the Polish city of Cracow hosted the European Games, where Romania grabbed a total of 17 medals, 6 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze. The gold medals were won by Vlad Dascălu in mountain bike, Claudia Bobocea in the 1,500m race, Kinga Barabași in the women’s individual teqball and Apor Gyorgydeak in the men’s individual teqball, and finally in table tennis, Bernadette Szőcs in the women’s singles and the Romanian team in the team event. (EN & VP)




  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Attention-grabbing these days is the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, an event bringing together the world’s elite tennis players. Tournaments are underway on the continent, but also nearby, in Tasmania or New Zealand. Romania’s best tennis players have also registered for the tennis tournaments in Australia, and their run so far has been excellent. For instance, Irina Begu last week reached as far as the semi-finals of the WTA 500 Adelaide International 1 tournament, an event with more than 825 thousand USD in prize money. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Irina Begu the Athlete of the week.



    In Adelaide, in the first round, Irina outclassed US opponent Shelby Rogers, 3-6, 7-6, 6-1. It was Irina ‘s debut match in 2023. Then in the round of 16, Irina Begu crushed seventh-seeded player in Adelaide, Latvian challenger Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3, 6-nil. In the quarterfinals, Begu defeated fourth-seeded tennis player, Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova, 7-5, 6-4, after more than two hours of play. However, in the semi-finals, Begu was overpowered by Arina Sabalenka of the Belarus, 3-6, 2-6. For her excellent run in Adelaide, Irina was rewarded with 43, 323 USD and 185 WTA points. Sabalenka eventually won the tournament, grabbing a 6-3, 7-6 win against Czech challenger Linda Noskova.



    Irina Camelia Begu was born in Bucharest on August 26, 1990. Throughout her career, she won five WTA tournaments in women’s singles: in Tashkent, in 2012, then in Seoul, in 2015, in Florianopolis, in 2016, in Bucharest, in 2017, then in Palermo, in 2022. In the women’s doubles, Irina Begu won nine tournaments. In 2012, she won the tournament in Hobart, pairing up with Monica Niculescu, then in ‘s Hertogenbosch, in 2013, she emerged as winner pairing up with Anabel Medina Garrigues, in Rio de Janeiro, in 2014, Irina paired up with Maria Irigoyen; in Seoul, also in 2014, Irina Begu and Lara Arruabarrena won, and in Bucharest, in 2017, jointly with Raluca Olaru, Irina again emerged as winner. Also in 2017, Irina Camelia Begu won the tournament in Tianjin, pairing up with Sara Errani. In 2018, Irina Begu won the tournament in Shenzen, jointly with Simona Halep and again, in Bucharest, this time in the company of Andreea Mitu.

    Irina Camelia Begu’s most recent title in the women’s doubles was won in 2019 at the Thailand Open, when she paired up with Monica Niculescu. According to the world rankings, Irina Begu is 28-placed in the women’s singles and 166th-placed in the women’s doubles rankings.(EN)


  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Attention-grabbing these days is the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, an event bringing together the world’s elite tennis players. Tournaments are underway on the continent, but also nearby, in Tasmania or New Zealand. Romania’s best tennis players have also registered for the tennis tournaments in Australia, and their run so far has been excellent. For instance, Irina Begu last week reached as far as the semi-finals of the WTA 500 Adelaide International 1 tournament, an event with more than 825 thousand USD in prize money. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Irina Begu the Athlete of the week.



    In Adelaide, in the first round, Irina outclassed US opponent Shelby Rogers, 3-6, 7-6, 6-1. It was Irina ‘s debut match in 2023. Then in the round of 16, Irina Begu crushed seventh-seeded player in Adelaide, Latvian challenger Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3, 6-nil. In the quarterfinals, Begu defeated fourth-seeded tennis player, Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova, 7-5, 6-4, after more than two hours of play. However, in the semi-finals, Begu was overpowered by Arina Sabalenka of the Belarus, 3-6, 2-6. For her excellent run in Adelaide, Irina was rewarded with 43, 323 USD and 185 WTA points. Sabalenka eventually won the tournament, grabbing a 6-3, 7-6 win against Czech challenger Linda Noskova.



    Irina Camelia Begu was born in Bucharest on August 26, 1990. Throughout her career, she won five WTA tournaments in women’s singles: in Tashkent, in 2012, then in Seoul, in 2015, in Florianopolis, in 2016, in Bucharest, in 2017, then in Palermo, in 2022. In the women’s doubles, Irina Begu won nine tournaments. In 2012, she won the tournament in Hobart, pairing up with Monica Niculescu, then in ‘s Hertogenbosch, in 2013, she emerged as winner pairing up with Anabel Medina Garrigues, in Rio de Janeiro, in 2014, Irina paired up with Maria Irigoyen; in Seoul, also in 2014, Irina Begu and Lara Arruabarrena won, and in Bucharest, in 2017, jointly with Raluca Olaru, Irina again emerged as winner. Also in 2017, Irina Camelia Begu won the tournament in Tianjin, pairing up with Sara Errani. In 2018, Irina Begu won the tournament in Shenzen, jointly with Simona Halep and again, in Bucharest, this time in the company of Andreea Mitu.

    Irina Camelia Begu’s most recent title in the women’s doubles was won in 2019 at the Thailand Open, when she paired up with Monica Niculescu. According to the world rankings, Irina Begu is 28-placed in the women’s singles and 166th-placed in the women’s doubles rankings.(EN)


  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

    A couple of days ago the Italian city of Parma played
    venue for a major women’s tennis tournament of the WTA 250 series. The main
    draw of the clay tournament Parma Ladies Open, a competition with 200 thousand Euros
    in prize money, included two Romanians, 3rd-seeded Irina Begu and 6th-seeded
    Ana Bogdan. Bogdan made it to the semifinals and was awarded a prize of almost 9
    thousand Euros.

    Her performance in Parma has also pushed her 7 WTA notches up
    to the 46th position, for the first time in her career. She has also got the
    Athlete of the Week title, Radio Romania International awards weekly to the
    best Romanian performance.






    In Parma, Bogdan obtained a first two-set win, 6-1,
    6-2, against Laura Pigossi of Brasil. Then she defeated Ana Schmiedlova of Slovakia
    in three sets 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Bogdan then met her compatriot Irina Begu in the
    quarters whom she outperformed 6-2, 7-6. In the semifinals she managed a good
    show against Mayar Sherif of Egypt who eventually won the game 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Sherif
    won the trophy after beating top seed Maria Sakkari of Greece in the finals.






    Ana Bogdan was born on 25 November 1992, in Sinaia,
    southern Romania, and turned professional in 2007. In 2009 she was second in
    the junior world ranking. She made it to the 59th position in the WTA ranking in
    June 2018. Her main performances had been two WTA semis in Florianopolis in
    2016 and in Bucharest a year later. Since then she has had a constant ascension,
    making it to the semis in Paris in May and in Portoroz, Slovenia, in September.

    She played two finals, in Warsaw, in July where she lost and in Iasi, northern
    Romania, in August where she won. Among the Romanian players she comes fourth after
    9th-seeded Halep, Irina Begu on the 33rd position and
    Sorana Cirstea who is presently ranking 39th in the WTA standings.




    (bill)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

    A couple of days ago the Italian city of Parma played
    venue for a major women’s tennis tournament of the WTA 250 series. The main
    draw of the clay tournament Parma Ladies Open, a competition with 200 thousand Euros
    in prize money, included two Romanians, 3rd-seeded Irina Begu and 6th-seeded
    Ana Bogdan. Bogdan made it to the semifinals and was awarded a prize of almost 9
    thousand Euros.

    Her performance in Parma has also pushed her 7 WTA notches up
    to the 46th position, for the first time in her career. She has also got the
    Athlete of the Week title, Radio Romania International awards weekly to the
    best Romanian performance.






    In Parma, Bogdan obtained a first two-set win, 6-1,
    6-2, against Laura Pigossi of Brasil. Then she defeated Ana Schmiedlova of Slovakia
    in three sets 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Bogdan then met her compatriot Irina Begu in the
    quarters whom she outperformed 6-2, 7-6. In the semifinals she managed a good
    show against Mayar Sherif of Egypt who eventually won the game 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Sherif
    won the trophy after beating top seed Maria Sakkari of Greece in the finals.






    Ana Bogdan was born on 25 November 1992, in Sinaia,
    southern Romania, and turned professional in 2007. In 2009 she was second in
    the junior world ranking. She made it to the 59th position in the WTA ranking in
    June 2018. Her main performances had been two WTA semis in Florianopolis in
    2016 and in Bucharest a year later. Since then she has had a constant ascension,
    making it to the semis in Paris in May and in Portoroz, Slovenia, in September.

    She played two finals, in Warsaw, in July where she lost and in Iasi, northern
    Romania, in August where she won. Among the Romanian players she comes fourth after
    9th-seeded Halep, Irina Begu on the 33rd position and
    Sorana Cirstea who is presently ranking 39th in the WTA standings.




    (bill)

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    The womens clay court tennis tournament in Palermo seems to have always drawn women tennis players from Romania to take part in it. We should not forget the Romanian women tennis players have many supporters in Sicily, especially among the fellow Romanians who settled there. Also, the Romanians feel quite at home playing on a clay court. We recall that 30 years ago, in 1994 and 1995, another Romanian, Irina Sparlea won the trophy. In 2021, Elena‑Gabriela Ruse was a whisker away from winning, yet she was defeated by US challenger Danielle Collins. In 2022, Irina Begu emerged as the winner of the Palermo tournament as in the final the Romanian overpowered her opponent, Italys Lucia Bronzetti. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Irina the Athlete of the week.



    Irina Begu was 6th-seeded in Palermo. Her successful run includes a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win against Spains Marina Bassols Ribera, another three-set win against French opponent Océane Dodin, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, in the second round, and a more laid-back, two-set win against Diane Parry, also from France 6-1, 6-3. Irinas trail in Palermo also includes a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win against the 4th-seeded player, Spains Sara Sorribes Tormo in the semi-finals; it was Irina Begus most difficult confrontation in the tournament, yet the Romanian braced up and won, after more than three hours of play. Irina Begu had no problem securing a two-set win against Italian challenger Lucia Bronzetti, 6-2, 6-2. For her exceptional feat in Sicily, Begu received 26, 770 Euro and 280 WTA points



    Irina Camelia Begu was born in Bucharest. She turns 32 in August this year. Her recent win in Palermo only adds to other noteworthy feats on her record. Irina also has four womens singles WTA tournaments she won in Tashkent, in 2012, in Seoul, in 2015, in Florianopolis, the USA, in 2016 and in Bucharest, in 2017. In the womens doubles, Irina Begu won nine tournaments, in Hobart in 2012, jointly with Monica Niculescu, in s-Hertogenbosch, in 2013, pairing up with Anabel Medina Garrigues and in Rio, in 2014, jointly with Maria Irigoyen. Also in 2014, in Seoul, Irina emerged as winner together with Lara Arruabarrena, then in 2017, jointly with Raluca Olaru, she won the tournament in Bucharest. Also in 2017, Irina Begu and sara Errani won the tournament in Tianjin. In 2018, Irina Camelia Begu won two other WTA tournaments, in Shenzhen, pairing up with Simona Halep, and again in Bucharest, this time alongside Andreea Mitu, also in 2018. Pairing up with Monica Niculescu, Irina Begu won the Thailand Open, in 2019.(EN)


  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    The womens clay court tennis tournament in Palermo seems to have always drawn women tennis players from Romania to take part in it. We should not forget the Romanian women tennis players have many supporters in Sicily, especially among the fellow Romanians who settled there. Also, the Romanians feel quite at home playing on a clay court. We recall that 30 years ago, in 1994 and 1995, another Romanian, Irina Sparlea won the trophy. In 2021, Elena‑Gabriela Ruse was a whisker away from winning, yet she was defeated by US challenger Danielle Collins. In 2022, Irina Begu emerged as the winner of the Palermo tournament as in the final the Romanian overpowered her opponent, Italys Lucia Bronzetti. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Irina the Athlete of the week.



    Irina Begu was 6th-seeded in Palermo. Her successful run includes a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win against Spains Marina Bassols Ribera, another three-set win against French opponent Océane Dodin, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, in the second round, and a more laid-back, two-set win against Diane Parry, also from France 6-1, 6-3. Irinas trail in Palermo also includes a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win against the 4th-seeded player, Spains Sara Sorribes Tormo in the semi-finals; it was Irina Begus most difficult confrontation in the tournament, yet the Romanian braced up and won, after more than three hours of play. Irina Begu had no problem securing a two-set win against Italian challenger Lucia Bronzetti, 6-2, 6-2. For her exceptional feat in Sicily, Begu received 26, 770 Euro and 280 WTA points



    Irina Camelia Begu was born in Bucharest. She turns 32 in August this year. Her recent win in Palermo only adds to other noteworthy feats on her record. Irina also has four womens singles WTA tournaments she won in Tashkent, in 2012, in Seoul, in 2015, in Florianopolis, the USA, in 2016 and in Bucharest, in 2017. In the womens doubles, Irina Begu won nine tournaments, in Hobart in 2012, jointly with Monica Niculescu, in s-Hertogenbosch, in 2013, pairing up with Anabel Medina Garrigues and in Rio, in 2014, jointly with Maria Irigoyen. Also in 2014, in Seoul, Irina emerged as winner together with Lara Arruabarrena, then in 2017, jointly with Raluca Olaru, she won the tournament in Bucharest. Also in 2017, Irina Begu and sara Errani won the tournament in Tianjin. In 2018, Irina Camelia Begu won two other WTA tournaments, in Shenzhen, pairing up with Simona Halep, and again in Bucharest, this time alongside Andreea Mitu, also in 2018. Pairing up with Monica Niculescu, Irina Begu won the Thailand Open, in 2019.(EN)


  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club


    Four Romanian
    national rugby team players proved themselves in the Rugby Europe Championship’s
    last round. Ovidiu Cojocaru, Adrian Moţoc, Daniel Plai and Hinckley
    Vaovasa have been included in the round’s dream team, when Romania trounced the
    team of the Netherlands, 39-12, away from home. Picked up among the dream team’s
    substitutes were Costel Burţilă and Gabriel Rupanu. Most
    of the dream team players, 7, come from Georgia, the team that won the Rugby Europe
    Championship, having thrashed Spain, 49 to 15. Georgia and Spain are the first
    two teams in descending order according to the combined rankings of the Rugby Europe
    Championship’s 2021 and 2022 editions, so they booked
    their direct qualification to the 2023 edition of the World Cup in France.     3rd-placed
    Romania is to play in the repechage in November, if they want to secure a
    position for the World Cup.


    Joining
    Romania for the repechage tournament are also teams from the two Americas, from
    the Asia-Pacific Zone and Africa. Teams will play
    according to the round-robin system. Of the Americas, the winner will be
    decided after the double confrontation pitting the USA against Chile. The
    winning team qualifies to the World Cup, directly, while the defeated team
    plays in the repechage tournament. According to the world rankings, USA are 18th-placed,
    while Chile are 23rd, being outclassed by Romania, currently 17th-placed
    according to the same rankings. For the Asia-Pacific Zone, the winner will be
    decided in the confrontation pitting the team of the state of Tonga against the
    Asia’s champions. Again, the winning team qualifies to the World Cup directly,
    while the defeated team plays in the repechage tournament. Tonga is by far the favorite team.

    Romania will most likely play the Asian
    champion, to be decided between Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia. According
    to the world rankings, Hong Kong are 22nd-placed, South Korea, 29th,
    while Malaysia are 50th placed. Africa’s championship will be held in France in
    July. The eight competing teams will play according to a knock-out system. The winning team qualifies to the World Cup,
    directly, while the finalist plays in the repechage tournament. Of the African teams,
    best-placed according to the world rankings are Namibia, which is 24th-placed
    and Zimbabwe, which is 34th-placed.


    (EN)

  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club


    Four Romanian
    national rugby team players proved themselves in the Rugby Europe Championship’s
    last round. Ovidiu Cojocaru, Adrian Moţoc, Daniel Plai and Hinckley
    Vaovasa have been included in the round’s dream team, when Romania trounced the
    team of the Netherlands, 39-12, away from home. Picked up among the dream team’s
    substitutes were Costel Burţilă and Gabriel Rupanu. Most
    of the dream team players, 7, come from Georgia, the team that won the Rugby Europe
    Championship, having thrashed Spain, 49 to 15. Georgia and Spain are the first
    two teams in descending order according to the combined rankings of the Rugby Europe
    Championship’s 2021 and 2022 editions, so they booked
    their direct qualification to the 2023 edition of the World Cup in France.     3rd-placed
    Romania is to play in the repechage in November, if they want to secure a
    position for the World Cup.


    Joining
    Romania for the repechage tournament are also teams from the two Americas, from
    the Asia-Pacific Zone and Africa. Teams will play
    according to the round-robin system. Of the Americas, the winner will be
    decided after the double confrontation pitting the USA against Chile. The
    winning team qualifies to the World Cup, directly, while the defeated team
    plays in the repechage tournament. According to the world rankings, USA are 18th-placed,
    while Chile are 23rd, being outclassed by Romania, currently 17th-placed
    according to the same rankings. For the Asia-Pacific Zone, the winner will be
    decided in the confrontation pitting the team of the state of Tonga against the
    Asia’s champions. Again, the winning team qualifies to the World Cup directly,
    while the defeated team plays in the repechage tournament. Tonga is by far the favorite team.

    Romania will most likely play the Asian
    champion, to be decided between Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia. According
    to the world rankings, Hong Kong are 22nd-placed, South Korea, 29th,
    while Malaysia are 50th placed. Africa’s championship will be held in France in
    July. The eight competing teams will play according to a knock-out system. The winning team qualifies to the World Cup,
    directly, while the finalist plays in the repechage tournament. Of the African teams,
    best-placed according to the world rankings are Namibia, which is 24th-placed
    and Zimbabwe, which is 34th-placed.


    (EN)

  • Top-notch Romanian athletes at the end of their career

    Top-notch Romanian athletes at the end of their career


    Attention-grabbing
    in 2021 was, among other things, the retirement of several top-flight Romanian athletes.
    Among them, fencer Ana-Maria Popescu, tennis player Horia
    Tecau as well as gymnasts Larisa Iordache and Marian Drăgulescu.


    For the fifth time
    running, in 2021 Ana-Maria Popescu has been designated the world’s best epee
    fencer. According to the final rankings, Ana-Maria Popescu was again at the top
    of the table. In the last confrontation of her career, in early December, Ana Maria
    Popescu came in 2nd at the MK Fencing Academy International Epee
    Cup, a World Cup stage event held in Dubai. Ana-Maria Popescu made her
    retirement public immediately after the contest.


    Lovers of fencing
    know her as Ana-Maria Branza. She was born on November 26, 1984 in Bucharest. Ana
    Maria first compelled recognition when she stepped onto the third step of the
    podium at the World Seniors Championships held in 2002 in Lisbon. Ana-Maria was only 18 back then. All hopes were
    pinned on the then up-and-coming Romanian fencer ahead of the Athens Olympics
    in 2004. However, she unassumingly cane in 16th. Ana-Maria Popescu’s
    stunning comeback occurred at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, when she walked
    away with silver, at that time the Romanian delegation’s best performance at
    the Olympics in China. However, 2016 was the year when Ana-Maria Popescu’s
    career best happened; at the Rio Olympics, the Romanian won gold with the epee
    national team. Ana-Maria Popescu then went on to win silver in the women’s
    singles as part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.


    Tennis player Horia
    Tecau is Romania’s best men’s doubles tennis player. For the seventh time running,
    in 2021 Tecau advanced to the Champions Tournament, jointly with the German Kevin
    Krawietz. In Turin, Tecau and Krawietz succeeded a win and sustained two
    defeats. Horia Tecau announcement his retirement shortly afterwards. At the previous
    editions of the Champions Tournament, Tecau twice competed alongside Sweden’s Robert
    Lindstedt. Horia Tecau also paired up with the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer four
    times. Tecau and Rojer emerged as winners of the tournament in 2015.


    Horia Tecau was
    born on January 19, 1985 in Brasov. In 2002, pairing up with Florin Mergea, Tecau
    won the Wimbledon men’s doubles juniors’ title. From July 2008, Horia Tecau had
    been placed among the world’s top 100 doubles tennis players. Since November 2009,
    Horia Tecau has been placed among the world’s top 50 tennis players. And that’s all from Sports today. You can also
    access our sports items at rri.ro and on Facebook. Tecau then constantly ascended
    according to the world’s men’s doubles rankings, reaching as far as the
    runner-up position in November 2015. Tecau won 38 men’s doubles ATP tournaments
    and played 24 finals. Pairing up with the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer, Tecau twice
    won Grand Slam tournaments, in Wimbledon, in 2015 and the US Open, in 2017. In
    2012, Horia Tecau won the mixed doubles version of the Australian Open jointly
    with Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, pairing up
    with Florin Mergea, Tecau walked away with silver. Horia Tecau has been a full-time
    member of Romania’s Davis Cup team since 2003.


    The best Romanian gymnast
    in recent years, Larisa Iordache put an end to her career in 2021. Larisa was
    born on June 19, 1996, in Bucharest. Her debut in major seniors’ competitions
    occurred in 2012, when in the singles and the teams’ competitions she won gold in
    the floor event and silver in the beam event, as part of the European Championship
    in Brussels. In the nations’ competition in 2012 at the London Olympics, Larisa
    Iordache won bronze. At the European Championship in Moscow in 2013, Larisa won
    gold in the beam event and stepped onto the second step of the podium in the
    all-around, floor and vault events. At the World Championship in Antwerp, also
    in 2013, Larisa Iordache won bronze in the floor event. In 2014, Larisa
    Iordache won gold in the European Championship held in Sofia, in the floor
    event and the nations’ competition. She also won silver in the beam event and
    bronze in the vault event. Then Larisa Iordache won silver in the Nanning World
    Championship in the all-around and floor events. In 2015, Larisa Iordache won
    bronze in the all-around event as part of the World Championship in Glasgow. 2016
    was rather uneventful for Larisa because of an injury. In 2017 she resumed
    participation in competitions and won bronze in the beam event as part of the European
    Championship held in Cluj. Yet Larisa Iordache’s stunning comeback occurred in December
    2020; at the European Championship in Turkey’s Mersin she won gold in the beam
    and floor events and two silver medals in the all-around vault event and,
    respectively, in the nations’ competition. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 Larisa
    Iordache qualified to the beam final with the fourth-best score. However, Larisa
    was unable to compete in the final because of a health condition.


    One
    of the longest-lasting gymnasts of all time, Marian Dragulescu, was born on December
    18, 1980, in Bucharest Marian Drăgulescu retired from competition in 2021, at
    the age of 41. He has the most impressive record among Romanian men gymnasts. Marian
    won one gold medal and two other bronze medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004. He
    then won eight gold and two silver medals in World championships. In European Championships,
    Marian Dragulescu won 18 medals, of which ten gold, six silver and two bronze
    medals. Dragulescu was designated the Best Athlete of the year in 2005 and 2009.
    There even is a vault exercise bearing Marian Dragulescu’s name. (EN)

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week


    A double
    Romanian-Danish Champions League women’s handball confrontation was held late
    last week. On Saturday in Group A, CSM Bucharest grabbed a 28-26 home in
    against Team Esbjerg, while in Group B on Sunday, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea grabbed a
    26-25 win against Odense Handbold, away from home. So CSM are 4th-placed
    in Group A, while SCM Ramnicu Valcea are 6th placed in Group B. Both
    teams stand a real chance to move past the League’s group stage. The top scorer
    in the two games was Cristina Neagu, who scored no less than 7 goals for CSM
    Bucharest. Reason enough for Radio Romania to designate Cristina Neagu the
    Athlete of the week.


    Cristina Neagu was born on August 26, 1988 in
    Bucharest. She made her debut with School Sports Club number 5. As a junior
    athlete, Neagu was designated the world’s best handballer several times, beginning 2005. We recall that back then Romani’s national squad walked away
    with the silver medal at the European Under-21 championships in Austria.
    Cristina Neagu was signed up by Rulmentul Brasov in 2006. She then played for
    Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea. In 2010 Cristina Neagu reached as far as the Champions League finals with Oltchim. SCM Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea was dismantled and Cristina Neagu got
    signed up by Buducnost Podgorica, with which she won the Champions League in 2015.
    Cristina Neagu has been playing for CSM Bucharest since 2017.


    Cristina Neagu has been the captain of the national team since 2016. Her record with the national squad includes a bronze medal
    won in the European Championship jointly hosted by Denmark and Norway in 2010,
    and another bronze medal won in the World Championship in Denmark in 2015. In
    2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the International Handball Federation designated
    Cristina Neagu the world’s best handballer. Neagu thus became the world’s first
    ever handballer in history to have won the trophy four times.


  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week


    A double
    Romanian-Danish Champions League women’s handball confrontation was held late
    last week. On Saturday in Group A, CSM Bucharest grabbed a 28-26 home in
    against Team Esbjerg, while in Group B on Sunday, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea grabbed a
    26-25 win against Odense Handbold, away from home. So CSM are 4th-placed
    in Group A, while SCM Ramnicu Valcea are 6th placed in Group B. Both
    teams stand a real chance to move past the League’s group stage. The top scorer
    in the two games was Cristina Neagu, who scored no less than 7 goals for CSM
    Bucharest. Reason enough for Radio Romania to designate Cristina Neagu the
    Athlete of the week.


    Cristina Neagu was born on August 26, 1988 in
    Bucharest. She made her debut with School Sports Club number 5. As a junior
    athlete, Neagu was designated the world’s best handballer several times, beginning 2005. We recall that back then Romani’s national squad walked away
    with the silver medal at the European Under-21 championships in Austria.
    Cristina Neagu was signed up by Rulmentul Brasov in 2006. She then played for
    Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea. In 2010 Cristina Neagu reached as far as the Champions League finals with Oltchim. SCM Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea was dismantled and Cristina Neagu got
    signed up by Buducnost Podgorica, with which she won the Champions League in 2015.
    Cristina Neagu has been playing for CSM Bucharest since 2017.


    Cristina Neagu has been the captain of the national team since 2016. Her record with the national squad includes a bronze medal
    won in the European Championship jointly hosted by Denmark and Norway in 2010,
    and another bronze medal won in the World Championship in Denmark in 2015. In
    2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the International Handball Federation designated
    Cristina Neagu the world’s best handballer. Neagu thus became the world’s first
    ever handballer in history to have won the trophy four times.


  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    Gabriela Ruse this past Sunday was the winner of
    the Open demonstrative tennis tournament in Cluj Napoca. In the final, Ruse
    outclassed Irina Begu in straight sets, 604, 603. Proving their mettle in the tournament
    were six Romanian women tennis players. They were WTA 81st-placed Irina Begu, Jacqueline Cristian,
    WTA 162, Irina Bara, WTA 159th-placed, Gabriela Ruse, WTA 177th-placed,
    Georgia Craciun, WTA 354th-placed and WTA 387th-placed
    Miriam Bulgaru.

    30,000 USD were up for grabs in the
    aforementioned tournament, the first one Romania has staged since COVID-19
    restrictions were lifted countrywide. A mixed doubles demonstrative match
    concluded the tournament, as Simona Halep and Horia Tecau took on Marius Copil
    and Gabriela Ruse. It took the former pair ninety minutes to grab their win,
    6-3, 6-4. Halep and Tecău will represent Romania in the
    Olympic Games in Tokyo, in the mixed doubles event. Matches were played in
    empty arenas and enjoyed a live transmission provided by a specialized TV station. Matches could also be accessed on the
    tournament’s Facebook page.


    In news from football, the Romanian Sergiu Hanca scored one
    goal for KS Krakow, the team that this past Saturday snatched a 3-nil away win
    against Lechia Gdansk, in a Group 1 match counting towards the Polish
    championship’s 34th round. Hancu thus added the 9th goal
    to his record sheet, in 32 games he has played so far. Full-back Cornel Râpă and midfielder Sergiu Hancam were
    full-timers on the pitch in the aforementioned fixture.


    Romanian striker George Puşcaş scored one goal and provided
    two assists this past Saturday, in a match counting towards the 41st
    round in English football championship’s second League, pitting Reading against
    red lantern team Luton Town. In Reading’s 5-nil away win against Luton, Puscas
    scored the fourth goal with a header. Also, Puscas twice provided assists for Reading’s
    Ivorian footballer Yakou Meite, who scored no less than four goals for his
    team. In the 32 matches he has played so far, Puscas scored 10 goals. In the
    Second league, Leeds United are at top of the table, with 78 points, while
    Puscas’s team Reading FC are second-placed, with 52.


    In the domestic championship’s Group 1, on Sunday,
    Politehnica Iasi grabbed a 3-1 win against Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe, while
    Academica Clinceni sustained a 1-3 defeat by Dinamo Bucharest. Group 2’s sixth
    round saw Gaz metan medias losing to Universitatea Craiova, 1-2 on Friday. On
    Saturday, FCSB
    were held by FC Botosani to a 1-all draw. On Sunday, Astra Giurgiu drew against
    CFR Cluj, 2-all. Universitatea Craiova are at the top of the table, with 38
    points, CFR Cluj are the runner-up team, with 37, while 3rd-placed
    are Astra Giurgiu, with 29. Coming in descending order are FCSB and FC
    Botosani, each with 28 points, and Gaz Metan Medias, with 25.


    (Translation by Eugen Nasta)