Athletes from Romania have stepped onto the podium 306 times
in 100 years of their participation in the Olympic Games. Out of the total
number of medals they have won 89 were gold. 111 Romanians have at least one
gold medal in their prize closet and 16 of them have twice stepped onto the
podium’s highest step.
Nadia Comaneci is the Romanian athlete with the highest
number of Olympic medals, 9. She was born on 12th November 1961 in
Onesti, eastern Romania, and took up gymnastics at the tender age of 5 after
she had been discovered during a selection process involving local
kindergartens. Nadia first made history at the Montreal Olympics where she
reaped three gold medals in the individual all round event, uneven bars and balance
beam. She also won silver in the nations contest and bronze in the floor event.
Her most notable performance was at the Montreal Olympics where she scored a
perfect 10, making the three digit scoreboards obsolete.
In 1980, Nadia reconfirmed her value at the Moscow Olympics
from where she walked away with another two gold medals in the beam and floor
events. She became bronze medalist in the individual all round and with the
team. She made the headlines again in 1989 when she crossed the border to
Hungary to settle in the United States dealing a heavy media blow to dictator Nicolae
Ceausescu’s regime.
With 8 Olympic medals, out of which 5 gold, another great
Romanian champion is Elisabeta Lipa. Nadia won her medals in two Olympic Games
whereas Lipa participated in six editions, being one of Romania’s long-lasting athletes.
She was born on October 26th 1964 in Suceava county,
northern Romania and scored her first Olympic gold in Los Angeles 1984 in the
double sculls event together with Marioara Popescu. Four years later in Seoul
she walked away with bronze as part of the Romanian four and with silver she
won in the double scull race.
She compelled recognition for the first time in a singles
contest in 1989 during the World Rowing Championship of Bled. She dominated the
competition for several years and eventually reaped the title in Barcelona in
1992. She later joined the famous Romanian eight, which dominated the European
and world competitions for many years. Together with her colleagues she managed
to obtain another three Olympic golds, in 1996 in Atlanta, in 2000 in Sydney
and in 2004 in Athens.
The third Romanian athlete with three Olympic gold medals is
Georgeta Damian – Andrunache who was born on April 14th 1976 in
Botosani, northern Romania. She made her debut in Aiguebellette, France in 1997
where she won silver in the pairs event together with Veronica Cochelea and
gold with the Romanian eight.
The first place in the pairs race of the Sydney Olympics
together with Doina Ignat was a surprise at that time. Together with Viorica
Susanu, Georgeta Andrunache reaped the Olympic title in Athens and was part of
the Romanian eight which would become Olympic champion. In 2008 in Beijing, the
two again claimed gold in the pairs event and were part of the Romanian eight
who became the bronze medalist.
(bill)
