Radio România Internațional

Tag: Nadia

  • Romania at the Olympic Games

    Romania at the Olympic Games

    Athletes from Romania have obtained
    the best performances in individual contests of the 21 editions of the Olympic
    Games they have attended. Teams from Romania have obtained only six medals,
    four in handball competitions, one in volleyball and one in rugby. Most of the
    medals have been claimed by Romania’s male and female gymnasts who stepped onto
    the podium 72 times winning 25 gold medals.






    The first participation of our
    gymnasts in an Olympic contest was in Berlin in 1936 but they started winning
    medals only 20 years later. Elena Leustean became bronze medalist in the floor
    event in Melbourne where the Romanian team also ended in the third position.
    Another bronze was won in Rome in 1960, which was followed by a 16 year pause.






    Then Nadia Comaneci managed a
    perfect ten making the three-digit scoreboard in Montreal obsolete. Nadia has
    won five Olympic gold medals, three of them in Montreal, in the individual
    all-round, balance beam and uneven bars event. Ecaterina Szabo comes next with
    four Olympic titles all of them in Los Angeles in 1984. Three Olympic gold
    medals have been won by Daniela Silivas, Simona Amanar and Catalina Ponor.
    Silivas compelled recognition in Seoul in 1988 when she won the uneven bars,
    beam and floor events.




    Amanar won the vault event in
    Atlanta in 1996 and individual all round and the team contest in Sydney 2000.
    Ponor won the Olympic titles in the beam, floor and teams contests in Athens,
    in 2004. In the men’s competitions, Romania had only one Olympic champion,
    Marius Urzica who won the pommel horse event in Sydney.






    When it comes to the best Olympic
    performances, the Romanian rowers are coming right after the gymnasts with 38
    medals, half of them gold. Romania’s first participation in an Olympic competition
    was in Helsinki, in 1952 and has so far missed only one edition in 1956. The first
    medal was obtained in Munich in 1972 by Petre Ceapura, Ladislau Lovrenschi and
    Stefan Tudor who became bronze medalists in the Men’s Coxed Pairs.




    The women’s contests were
    introduced for the first time in Montreal in 1976 and Romania’s coxed quadruple
    scull stepped onto the podium’s third step. At the next edition held in Moscow
    in 1980, Sanda Toma won gold for Romania in the single scull race. Women rowers
    from Romania dominated the competitions from 1984 to 2004 winning 17 gold
    medals most of them in the Los Angeles Olympics.




    In 1984, Romanian rowers won five
    Olympic titles in the women’s competitions and one in the men’s contests.
    Georgeta Andrunache and Viorica Susanu obtained the last Olympic gold for
    Romania in the women’s pairs of the Beijing Olympics while the Romanian eight
    obtained the bronze medal in the 2016 edition in Rio.






    Next in terms of Olympic medals won
    for Romania are athletes with 35 medals, kayak-canoeists with 34 and wrestlers
    with 33 medals. Iolanda Balas is the only Romanian athlete with two gold medals
    in the Olympic Games, in 1960 in Rome and 1964 in Tokyo. Ivan Patzaichin reaped
    four gold medals and three silver in the kayak-canoe races. He and Serghei
    Covaliov compelled recognition in the 1000 meter race of Mexico Olympics in
    1968, in Moscow 1980 and in Los Angeles four years later together with Toma
    Simionov. Patzaichin also won the 1000 meter single race in Munich in 1972.






    Gheorghe Berceanu and Stefan Rusu
    compelled recognition in Greek-Roman wrestling competitions. Berceanu won gold
    in Munich and silver four years later in Montreal while Rusu became silver
    medalist in Montreal and gold medalist at the Olympics in Moscow.




    (bill)

  • Romania at the Olympic Games

    Romania at the Olympic Games

    Athletes from Romania have obtained
    the best performances in individual contests of the 21 editions of the Olympic
    Games they have attended. Teams from Romania have obtained only six medals,
    four in handball competitions, one in volleyball and one in rugby. Most of the
    medals have been claimed by Romania’s male and female gymnasts who stepped onto
    the podium 72 times winning 25 gold medals.






    The first participation of our
    gymnasts in an Olympic contest was in Berlin in 1936 but they started winning
    medals only 20 years later. Elena Leustean became bronze medalist in the floor
    event in Melbourne where the Romanian team also ended in the third position.
    Another bronze was won in Rome in 1960, which was followed by a 16 year pause.






    Then Nadia Comaneci managed a
    perfect ten making the three-digit scoreboard in Montreal obsolete. Nadia has
    won five Olympic gold medals, three of them in Montreal, in the individual
    all-round, balance beam and uneven bars event. Ecaterina Szabo comes next with
    four Olympic titles all of them in Los Angeles in 1984. Three Olympic gold
    medals have been won by Daniela Silivas, Simona Amanar and Catalina Ponor.
    Silivas compelled recognition in Seoul in 1988 when she won the uneven bars,
    beam and floor events.




    Amanar won the vault event in
    Atlanta in 1996 and individual all round and the team contest in Sydney 2000.
    Ponor won the Olympic titles in the beam, floor and teams contests in Athens,
    in 2004. In the men’s competitions, Romania had only one Olympic champion,
    Marius Urzica who won the pommel horse event in Sydney.






    When it comes to the best Olympic
    performances, the Romanian rowers are coming right after the gymnasts with 38
    medals, half of them gold. Romania’s first participation in an Olympic competition
    was in Helsinki, in 1952 and has so far missed only one edition in 1956. The first
    medal was obtained in Munich in 1972 by Petre Ceapura, Ladislau Lovrenschi and
    Stefan Tudor who became bronze medalists in the Men’s Coxed Pairs.




    The women’s contests were
    introduced for the first time in Montreal in 1976 and Romania’s coxed quadruple
    scull stepped onto the podium’s third step. At the next edition held in Moscow
    in 1980, Sanda Toma won gold for Romania in the single scull race. Women rowers
    from Romania dominated the competitions from 1984 to 2004 winning 17 gold
    medals most of them in the Los Angeles Olympics.




    In 1984, Romanian rowers won five
    Olympic titles in the women’s competitions and one in the men’s contests.
    Georgeta Andrunache and Viorica Susanu obtained the last Olympic gold for
    Romania in the women’s pairs of the Beijing Olympics while the Romanian eight
    obtained the bronze medal in the 2016 edition in Rio.






    Next in terms of Olympic medals won
    for Romania are athletes with 35 medals, kayak-canoeists with 34 and wrestlers
    with 33 medals. Iolanda Balas is the only Romanian athlete with two gold medals
    in the Olympic Games, in 1960 in Rome and 1964 in Tokyo. Ivan Patzaichin reaped
    four gold medals and three silver in the kayak-canoe races. He and Serghei
    Covaliov compelled recognition in the 1000 meter race of Mexico Olympics in
    1968, in Moscow 1980 and in Los Angeles four years later together with Toma
    Simionov. Patzaichin also won the 1000 meter single race in Munich in 1972.






    Gheorghe Berceanu and Stefan Rusu
    compelled recognition in Greek-Roman wrestling competitions. Berceanu won gold
    in Munich and silver four years later in Montreal while Rusu became silver
    medalist in Montreal and gold medalist at the Olympics in Moscow.




    (bill)

  • Romania at the Olympic Games

    Romania at the Olympic Games

    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)

  • Romania at the Olympic Games

    Romania at the Olympic Games

    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)