Radio România Internațional

Tag: podium

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    The European figure skating Championships have recently drawn to a close in Estonia’s Tallinn. Four skaters represented Romania. In the women’s singles event, taking the start were Julia Sauter and Ana Sofia Beşchea, while in the dance event, there were Emilia Ziobrowska and Shiloh Judd. Julia Sauter had the best performance coming in 7th. Julia’s performance was the best Romanian result of all time in a European figure skating championship.

    Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Julia Sauter the Athlete of the week.

    Julia Sauter was born in Weingarten, in Germany’s Baden–Württemberg Land, on June 18, 1997. She has been signed up by Corona Brasov in Brasov. As a junior, Julia competed for Germany. As part of her first participation in a seniors’ European competition, in Stockholm, in 2015, Julia Sauter came in 35th.

    In Bratislava, in 2016, Julia came in 27th, then in Ostrava, in 2017, Julia came in 25th. In 2019, in Minsk, a she went past the short-program phase, coming in 14th after the free program. Julia Sauter saw a steady competitional progress one year after the next, so much so that, at present, she is that close to the competitors claiming a position onto the European podium.

    In Tallinn, after the short program, she came in 8th. In the free program, Julia Sauter got the tenth best mark in the competition. Eventually, the total earned her the 7th position. We recall that in Lithuania, in 2024, Julia came in 9th.

    Julia Sauter’s immediate stated aim is a very good performance in the World Championships scheduled in Boston, the United States, in March 2025. Obtaining a position among the world’s best 24 skaters, after the short program, could secure Julia a place among the skaters vying for a medal, also enabling her to meet the technical criteria for the participation in the Olympic Games scheduled in Italy, in 2026.

    According to regulations, in order to compete for Romania, Julia will have to be granted Romanian citizenship. Julia Sauter has said that, for her, being granted the citizenship is still an ongoing process.

  • Olympic Update

    Olympic Update

    The women’s gymnastics contest as part of the ongoing Paris Olympics drew to a close on Monday, August 5, with the last apparatus pieces finals in the beam and floor events. Romanian gymnasts took the start in both events.

    Competing in the beam event was Sabrina Maneca Voinea, who had advanced to the finals with the 5th mark in the qualifiers, 14. 000 points. However, in the final, Voinea fell off the beam and was eventually 8th-placed, the bottom-of-the-table position, with 11. 733 points.

    The winner was Italy’s Alice D’Amato, with 14. 366 points. The floor final followed, with two Romanian gymnasts competing, Ana Bărbosu and yet again Sabrina Maneca Voinea. Ana got the 8th mark in the qualifiers, 13.600, while Sabrina Voinea got the 4th mark, 13.800. With a flawless exercise in the final, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won, with 14. 166 points.

    Stepping onto the second step of the podium was US gymnast Simone Biles. The American got a surprisingly high mark, 14.133 points, having stepped off of the mat several times. At the end of her exercise, third-placed was Ana Bărbosu, who initially got 13. 700 points. Also 13.700 points got Sabrina Voinea who came in 4th because of a flaw in her exercise. Fifth-placed was US gymnast Jordan Chiles who filed an appeal to which the referees agreed.

    With a raised number of points, 13.766, Chiles won bronze. Therefore, the Romanians were denied the opportunity of stepping onto a step of the podium. Sabrina Voinea filed an appeal targeting the starting mark of her exercise but her appeal was unsuccessful.

    Romania last won an Olympic medal in gymnastics at the London Olympics in 2012. We recall back then Sandra Izbaşa won gold in the vault event, Cătălina Ponor walked away with silver in the floor event. While Romania stepped onto the third step of the podium in the nations’ competition.
    Twelve years on, as part of the Paris Olympics, Romania came in 7th in the nations’ competition.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week


    Swimmers of 25 countries
    late last week proved their mettle in a top-notch international competition
    held in Luxembourg. Taking the start in Euro Meet were more than 600 swimmers eager to prove themselves but also to meet the qualification standards set for
    the Olympic Games in Paris. The world’s best swimmer today, David Popovici, was
    among the participants. He won gold in the 100m and 200m freestyle events.


    Reason
    enough for Radio Romania International to designate David Popovici the Athlete of
    the week.


    In the 100m
    freestyle event, Popovici La 100 de metri liber, as part of Euro Meet in Luxembourg
    Popovici set a new competitional record, clocking 48 seconds and one hundredth
    of a second. With 46 seconds and 86 hundredths of a seconds, Popovici is the
    event’s record holder, so in Luxembourg, David Popovici was not at the peak of his career.

    His timing in the 200m freestyle event was not
    extraordinary either. In Luxembourg, Popovici clocked 46 seconds and 86 hundredths
    of a second. We recall that at the 2023 edition of the World Championships in Japan’s
    Fukukoa, where Popovici came in 4th, he clocked 44 seconds and 86
    hundredths of a second. There is still a lot more work to be done ahead of the
    Olympics…David Popovici announced he would not take part in the World
    Championships, scheduled in February in Qatar, which proves he will totally
    focus on his training for the Olympic Games in Paris.


    David
    Popovici was born in Bucharest, on September 15, 2004. David compelled
    recognition in 2021, in the juniors’ competitions. We recall that back then at
    the European Championships in Rome, Popovici won the 200m, 100m and 50m free-style
    events, setting a new world record for the latter event as well as a new world
    juniors’ record event. Subsequently, David broke the world juniors’ records in
    the 100m and 200m freestyle event. He succeeded the qualification to the Tokyo
    Olympics, where he came in fourth in the 200m free-style event, being two hundredths
    of a second away from stepping onto a step of the podium. In the seniors’
    category, Popovici first won his major title in November 2021. We recall that
    back then, in Russia’s Kazan. Popovici became a European champion in the 200m
    freestyle event.


    David’s
    career-best so far occurred in 2022. At the World Seniors’ Championships held
    in June 2023in Budapest, Popovici won the 100m and 200m freestyle events, an
    absolute first for Romanian sports. Then in August 2023, at the European Championships
    in Rome, in 2023, David Popovici clocked 46 seconds and 86 hundredths of a
    second, setting a new world record. He was that close to setting another world
    record when he won the 200m freestyle event.


    In
    2023, David maintained his position according to the world rankings, yet he was
    unable to step onto a step of the podium in the major competitions held in an Olympic
    swimming pool.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Gymnastics for many years now has been among
    the sports disciplines that made Romania shine, literally. At the Olympic games,
    for instance, the Romanian gymnasts won 71 medals throughout the years. Of those
    medals, 25 were gold, 20 silver and 26 bronze. Most of the medals were won in
    the women’s version of the competition. There was also the women’s team who won last won the medals for Romania, at the London Olympics in 2012. We recall that back then Sandra
    Izbasa won gold in the vault event, while Catalina Ponor walked away with silver in
    the floor event. The Romanian team
    won bronze, in the nations’ competition.


    However, 2012 was the
    last year when the Romanian gymnastics teams, both men and women, succeeded to qualify to the Olympic Games. The Romanian gymnasts’ performance in
    individual events was also lackluster. In 2023, the Romanian gymnastics teams
    have yet again gained their position among the world’s Olympic-level teams. At
    the recently-held World Championships in Belgium’s Antwerp, the Romanian women’s team qualified to the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris.


    In the individual
    event, the best performance came from Sabrina Maneca – Voinea. Sabrina was that
    close to stepping onto a step of the podium, since she came in 4th
    in the floor final. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Sabrina
    the Athlete of the week.


    As part of the Antwerp World Championships qualifiers, Sabrina Maneca Voinea competed in the beam and floor events alone, where she was granted 13.666
    points. Sabrina’s grades in the preliminary contest in Belgium were the best among
    the Romanian gymnasts’ performance. Her marks earned Sabrina the qualification
    to the floor finals, as well as the substitute position in the beam final. On
    Sunday, Sabrina was the last one to have fought for the floor medals. The
    winner was the US gymnast Simone Biles, with 14. 633 points. Second-placed was
    many-time world and Olympic champion, Brazil’s Rebeca
    Andrade, with 14.500 points. The bronze medals went to another Brazilian gymnast,
    Flavia Saravia, who got 13. 966
    points. Sabrina came in 4th, with a
    mere 2 tenths of a points from the third place of the podium.


    Sabrina Maneca Voinea was born in Constanta, in the south-east, on June 4,
    2007. Her mother, Camelia Voinea, is also her coach. We recall Camelia Voinea
    was a top-level gymnast who won gold at the World Championships in Rotterdam,
    in 1987 and silver in the Olympic Games in Seoul, in 1988, in the nations’
    competition. Sabrina has been a regular member of Romania’s juniors’ gymnastics
    team since 2017. In 2023, in the seniors’ version of the European Championships
    held in in Antalya in April, Sabrina won bronze in the floor event.

  • Les sportifs roumain, sur le podion mondial

    Les sportifs roumain, sur le podion mondial

    La Roumanie a remporté 4 médailles d’or aux Championnats du monde d’aviron qui se sont achevés ce dimanche, à Racice, en République tchèque. Cela place la délégation roumaine en 3e position du classement par nations, étant devancée uniquement par la Grande Bretagne (7 médailles d’or, une d’argent et 4 de bronze) et par l’Italie (5 médailles d’or, 3 d’argent et une de bronze)

    Le premier succès roumain a été enregistré vendredi, par Ionela Cozmiuc, dans la compétition d’aviron simple léger. Championne d’Europe en titre, elle était la favorite de cette épreuve. Mais son départ a été difficile, au premier quart de la course elle se classait 3e. A 1500 m elle, se trouvait en 2e position, réussissant à s’imposer à la fin, avec presque 2 secondes d’avance par rapport à Martine Veldhuis des Pays-Bas, la 2e classée.

    Samedi, ce fut le tour du double sans barreur formé de Marius Cozmiuc, l’époux de lonela, et Sergiu Bejan de monter sur le podium. Les deux sportifs sont aussi Champions d’Europe de cette épreuve masculine de deux sans barreur, alors que Marius Cozmiuc compte aussi à son palmarès l’argent des JO 2020, remporté aux côtés d’un autre compatriote, Ciprian Tudosă. Ce weekend, à Racice, les deux sportifs roumains ont devancé de plus d’une seconde l’équipage espagnol, arrivé en 2e position, et de presque 3 secondes les Britanniques qui ont gagné le bronze.

    Ensuite, dimanche, médaille d’or pour l’équipage féminin de deux de couple formé d’Ancuţa Bodnar et Simona Radiş, championnes olympiques et d’Europe de la même épreuve. Favorites incontestables, elles ont été en tête du peloton dès le début, s’imposant avec 3 secondes de plus par rapport aux sportives néerlandaises classées en 2e position et avec 5 secondes d’avance par rapport aux Irlandaises qui ont remporté, elles, le bronze. A noter qu’Ancuţa Bodnar a fêté son 24e anniversaire ce dimanche même. Pour ce qui est de sa collègue, Simona Radiş, elle a remporté une nouvelle médaille d’or aux côtés de l’équipage de 8 avec barreuse. Les Roumaines ont dominé la course dès le début, devançant de presque 4 secondes leurs rivales néerlandaises qui ont occupé la 2e place du podium. La dernière victoire de la Roumanie à l’épreuve de 8 avec barreuse remonte aux Championnats du monde de 2017, tenus en Floride.

    Avant de terminer, précisons aussi que ces victoires des équipes roumaines surviennent deux années avant leur grand objectif : les JO de Paris. Et vu les résultats du canotage roumain ces derniers temps, on n’a pas tort de rêver de nombreuses médailles olympiques. (Trad. Valentina Beleavski)

  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club

    Artistic gymnastics is the sports discipline where, throughout the
    years, Romanian athletes won the greatest number of medals. We recall Romanian gymnasts stepped onto the first step of the podium 25 times in Olympic
    competitions. They won the silver medals 20 times and bronze, 26. Romanian gymnastics’
    most recent Olympic medals were won in the 2012 London Olympics. Back
    then Sandra Isbasa walked away with gold in the vault event, Catalina Ponor also
    walked home with gold in the floor event, while the team stepped onto the third
    step of the podium.

    Notwithstanding, Romanian gymnastics has seen a downturn in
    recent years. The men’s and women’s national teams wasted the opportunity to
    qualify to the Rio Olympics in 2016 and to the 2020 edition of the Olympic
    Games in Tokyo. 2020 was also the year when the most recent notable results
    occurred at the European Championships held in Mersin, Turkey, but back then Europe’s
    strongest teams did not take part in the competition.


    Pundits provided an explanation for Romanian gymnastics’
    poor run in recent years, in that the grassroots selection procedure in the case
    of children and juniors has seen a dramatic decrease. In a bid to stave off the
    phenomenon, Romanian women’s gymnastics’ most distinguished head-coaches, Octavian
    Bellu and Mariana Bitang, initiated the program themed Our country is in
    dire need of champions.     The program got the support of Romanian Gymnastics
    Federation. Also, it received funding from a great power supply company,
    therefore results were quick to appear, also at international
    level. Three of the gymnasts who belong to the generation that was selected and
    funded via the aforementioned program these days have represented Romania at
    the European Youth’s Olympic Festival, hosted by the city of Banska Bystrica in Slovakia. They were Amalia Puflea,
    Amalia Ghigoarță and Sabrina Voinea. The Romanian delegation’s medal tally in
    Baska Bystrica was made of four medals: gold in the nations’ competition, in
    the apparatus pieces final and in the floor and beam events, both medals being won Amalia
    Puflea. It was also Puflea who won silver in the all-around event.


    Puflea, Ghigoarță and Voinea did not have that much time to enjoy the results in Slovakia. Their intense training continues as next week the European
    Juniors’ and Seniors’ Championships start in Munich, Germany. According to the
    Romanian Gymnastics Federation’s webpage, the award-winning gymnasts in Banska Bystrica will compete in the juniors’ events. The
    competition begins on August 9, with the seniors’ floor training, while the
    juniors’ training session is scheduled on August 10. The competition draws to a
    close on Sunday, August 14, with the apparatus pieces finals, in the juniors’ as
    well as in the seniors’ version of the championships. (EN)




    ——

  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club

    Artistic gymnastics is the sports discipline where, throughout the
    years, Romanian athletes won the greatest number of medals. We recall Romanian gymnasts stepped onto the first step of the podium 25 times in Olympic
    competitions. They won the silver medals 20 times and bronze, 26. Romanian gymnastics’
    most recent Olympic medals were won in the 2012 London Olympics. Back
    then Sandra Isbasa walked away with gold in the vault event, Catalina Ponor also
    walked home with gold in the floor event, while the team stepped onto the third
    step of the podium.

    Notwithstanding, Romanian gymnastics has seen a downturn in
    recent years. The men’s and women’s national teams wasted the opportunity to
    qualify to the Rio Olympics in 2016 and to the 2020 edition of the Olympic
    Games in Tokyo. 2020 was also the year when the most recent notable results
    occurred at the European Championships held in Mersin, Turkey, but back then Europe’s
    strongest teams did not take part in the competition.


    Pundits provided an explanation for Romanian gymnastics’
    poor run in recent years, in that the grassroots selection procedure in the case
    of children and juniors has seen a dramatic decrease. In a bid to stave off the
    phenomenon, Romanian women’s gymnastics’ most distinguished head-coaches, Octavian
    Bellu and Mariana Bitang, initiated the program themed Our country is in
    dire need of champions.     The program got the support of Romanian Gymnastics
    Federation. Also, it received funding from a great power supply company,
    therefore results were quick to appear, also at international
    level. Three of the gymnasts who belong to the generation that was selected and
    funded via the aforementioned program these days have represented Romania at
    the European Youth’s Olympic Festival, hosted by the city of Banska Bystrica in Slovakia. They were Amalia Puflea,
    Amalia Ghigoarță and Sabrina Voinea. The Romanian delegation’s medal tally in
    Baska Bystrica was made of four medals: gold in the nations’ competition, in
    the apparatus pieces final and in the floor and beam events, both medals being won Amalia
    Puflea. It was also Puflea who won silver in the all-around event.


    Puflea, Ghigoarță and Voinea did not have that much time to enjoy the results in Slovakia. Their intense training continues as next week the European
    Juniors’ and Seniors’ Championships start in Munich, Germany. According to the
    Romanian Gymnastics Federation’s webpage, the award-winning gymnasts in Banska Bystrica will compete in the juniors’ events. The
    competition begins on August 9, with the seniors’ floor training, while the
    juniors’ training session is scheduled on August 10. The competition draws to a
    close on Sunday, August 14, with the apparatus pieces finals, in the juniors’ as
    well as in the seniors’ version of the championships. (EN)




    ——

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    The European Juniors’ swimming Championships, held in
    Otopeni, nearby Bucharest, have drawn to close this past Sunday. Staged as an
    absolute first in Romania, the competition brought 494 swimmers from 42
    countries to the start line, The 26-strong Romanian delegation, made of 14 men
    and 12 women, came in 3rd in the overall national competition
    rankings, The Romanians walked away with 9 medals, 5 of which were gold and 4
    silver. The delegations of Hungary and
    Poland were the only ones that outclassed Romania. The most substantial contribution
    to Romania’s medal tally was provided by swimmer David Popovici. David was a member
    of Romania’s gold-winning freestyle relay team and of Romania’s mixed relay
    team, which also scooped gold in the 4X100m freestyle event. Reason enough for radio
    Romania International to designate David the Athlete of the week.


    As a result of their scintillating run in Otopeni, David
    Popovici and the French Mary-Ambre Moluh were designated the championships’
    best swimmers, according to the number of points reflecting their results in
    the competition. Top of the table with 951 points was Popovici. Following in
    descending order were Ksawery Masiuk of Poland, with 941, and the Italian Lorenzo
    Galossi, with 897. In the women’s version of the championships, Moluh had 920 points.


    David Popovici was born in Bucharest on September 15,
    2004. He distinguished himself at the juniors’ competition in 2021, when at the
    European championships in Rome, David stepped onto the first step of the podium
    at the European Championships in Rome, in the 200, 100 and 50m freestyle event.
    David set a new world juniors’ record in the 50m event. Later, David broke the
    world records in the 100 and 200m freestyle events. David also succeeded to
    qualify for the Tokyo Olympics’, where he came in 4th in the 200m
    freestyle event. Back then David Popovici was two hundredths of a second away
    from stepping onto a step of the podium. In seniors’ competitions, David’s
    major feat occurred in November 2021. We recall that in Kazan, Russia, he
    became a European champion in the 200m freestyle event. At the world seniors’ championships
    held in Budapest in June this year, David was at the top of the table in the
    100 and 200m freestyle events. David’s next scheduled competition is the European
    Seniors’ Championship, held in Rome, between August 11 and 17. Then in early
    September David will be participating in the World Juniors’ Championships, held
    in Lima, Peru.


    (EN)

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    The European Juniors’ swimming Championships, held in
    Otopeni, nearby Bucharest, have drawn to close this past Sunday. Staged as an
    absolute first in Romania, the competition brought 494 swimmers from 42
    countries to the start line, The 26-strong Romanian delegation, made of 14 men
    and 12 women, came in 3rd in the overall national competition
    rankings, The Romanians walked away with 9 medals, 5 of which were gold and 4
    silver. The delegations of Hungary and
    Poland were the only ones that outclassed Romania. The most substantial contribution
    to Romania’s medal tally was provided by swimmer David Popovici. David was a member
    of Romania’s gold-winning freestyle relay team and of Romania’s mixed relay
    team, which also scooped gold in the 4X100m freestyle event. Reason enough for radio
    Romania International to designate David the Athlete of the week.


    As a result of their scintillating run in Otopeni, David
    Popovici and the French Mary-Ambre Moluh were designated the championships’
    best swimmers, according to the number of points reflecting their results in
    the competition. Top of the table with 951 points was Popovici. Following in
    descending order were Ksawery Masiuk of Poland, with 941, and the Italian Lorenzo
    Galossi, with 897. In the women’s version of the championships, Moluh had 920 points.


    David Popovici was born in Bucharest on September 15,
    2004. He distinguished himself at the juniors’ competition in 2021, when at the
    European championships in Rome, David stepped onto the first step of the podium
    at the European Championships in Rome, in the 200, 100 and 50m freestyle event.
    David set a new world juniors’ record in the 50m event. Later, David broke the
    world records in the 100 and 200m freestyle events. David also succeeded to
    qualify for the Tokyo Olympics’, where he came in 4th in the 200m
    freestyle event. Back then David Popovici was two hundredths of a second away
    from stepping onto a step of the podium. In seniors’ competitions, David’s
    major feat occurred in November 2021. We recall that in Kazan, Russia, he
    became a European champion in the 200m freestyle event. At the world seniors’ championships
    held in Budapest in June this year, David was at the top of the table in the
    100 and 200m freestyle events. David’s next scheduled competition is the European
    Seniors’ Championship, held in Rome, between August 11 and 17. Then in early
    September David will be participating in the World Juniors’ Championships, held
    in Lima, Peru.


    (EN)

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Headline-hitting for a week now, in the world of Romanian sports news and sports punditry, has been the name of Romanian swimmer David Popovici. The Romanian walked away with two world titles he won in the 100m and 200m freestyle events as part of the recently-held World Championships in Budapest. Davids two exceptional feats are an absolute first for Romanian sports, arguably recommending David Popovici for the Athlete of the Year title in 2022. However, were still six months to go before the yearend and, in the meantime, many things can happen in the world of sports by the end of December. So its too early for festivities…As for Radio Romania international, the best it can do was to designate David Popovici the Athlete of the Week



    On Sunday, David and his colleague, Robert Glință, the worlds 5th best swimmer in the 50m backstroke event received a heros welcome at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest. Government and sports officials sought to pay their respects for the two swimmers performance in Budapest, at once emphasizing the fresh prospects that lay ahead for Romanian swimming. President Klaus Iohannis was keen on handing David the decoration himself, which is the Romanian states highest distinction The Star of Romania National order in the Rank of Knight. Davids coach, Adrian Radulescu, was also decorated. He was awarded the For Merit National Order in the Rank of Knight.



    David Popovici was born in Bucharest on September 15, 2004. David distinguished himself in the juniors competition held in 2021. We recall that at the European Championships held in Rome, David won the 200m, 100m and 50m freestyle events, setting a new juniors world record for the last event. Later, the Romanian broke all world juniors records in the 100m and 200m freestyle events. David Popovici succeeded to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, when he came in 4th in the 200m freestyle event. .Back then David was two hundredths of a second away from stepping onto a step of the podium. In the seniors competitions, David won his first major title in November 2021. We recall that in Kazan, Russia, David Popovici walked away with the 200m freestyle European title. Following the exceptional feat in Budapest, David will yet again have to prove his mettle in next weeks European Championships held in Otopeni. The European Seniors Championships will be held in Rome over August 11 and 17. In early December, the Juniors World Championships will be held in Perus capital city, Lima.


    (EN)




  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Headline-hitting for a week now, in the world of Romanian sports news and sports punditry, has been the name of Romanian swimmer David Popovici. The Romanian walked away with two world titles he won in the 100m and 200m freestyle events as part of the recently-held World Championships in Budapest. Davids two exceptional feats are an absolute first for Romanian sports, arguably recommending David Popovici for the Athlete of the Year title in 2022. However, were still six months to go before the yearend and, in the meantime, many things can happen in the world of sports by the end of December. So its too early for festivities…As for Radio Romania international, the best it can do was to designate David Popovici the Athlete of the Week



    On Sunday, David and his colleague, Robert Glință, the worlds 5th best swimmer in the 50m backstroke event received a heros welcome at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest. Government and sports officials sought to pay their respects for the two swimmers performance in Budapest, at once emphasizing the fresh prospects that lay ahead for Romanian swimming. President Klaus Iohannis was keen on handing David the decoration himself, which is the Romanian states highest distinction The Star of Romania National order in the Rank of Knight. Davids coach, Adrian Radulescu, was also decorated. He was awarded the For Merit National Order in the Rank of Knight.



    David Popovici was born in Bucharest on September 15, 2004. David distinguished himself in the juniors competition held in 2021. We recall that at the European Championships held in Rome, David won the 200m, 100m and 50m freestyle events, setting a new juniors world record for the last event. Later, the Romanian broke all world juniors records in the 100m and 200m freestyle events. David Popovici succeeded to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, when he came in 4th in the 200m freestyle event. .Back then David was two hundredths of a second away from stepping onto a step of the podium. In the seniors competitions, David won his first major title in November 2021. We recall that in Kazan, Russia, David Popovici walked away with the 200m freestyle European title. Following the exceptional feat in Budapest, David will yet again have to prove his mettle in next weeks European Championships held in Otopeni. The European Seniors Championships will be held in Rome over August 11 and 17. In early December, the Juniors World Championships will be held in Perus capital city, Lima.


    (EN)




  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week


    The city of Leiria in Portugal late last week played host to the Europa Cup in throwing events. The Cup is one of the most noted athletic events, early into the ongoing international season. Representing Romania were several top-flight athletes. Among them, four had proved their mettle in the 2020 edition of the Tokyo Olympics. They were hammer thrower Bianca Ghelber, javelin thrower Alexandru Novac, Alex Firfirica, competing in the discus throw and Rareș Toader, in the shot-put event. Of the Romanians, Bianca Ghelber, was the favorite to winning a top position, since in Tokyo she came in 6th, which was the Romanian delegation’s best result. However, it was Alexandru Novac’s turn to shine since this past Sunday he won gold, with a throw of 80 meters and 49 centimeters, Novac’s best performance of the season. Alexandru Novac’s noteworthy result in Leiria was reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate him the Athlete of the week.



    In Leiria this past Saturday, discus thrower Alin Firfirică came in 6th, with a throw of 60 meters and 57 de centimeters. On Sunday, hammer thrower Bianca Ghelber came in 11th, with a throw of 67 de meters and 40 de centimeters, Bianca’s best result this season. In the shot-put event, Rareş Toader was 8th-placed, with a throw of 19 meters and 72 centimeters. In the women’s Under-23 version of the hammer throw event, Ana Adela Stanciu came in 6th, with a throw of 62 meters and 37 centimeters.



    Alexandru Novac will soon turn 25. He was born in Adjud, Vrancea County, in the east, on March 24, 1997. His coach is former world and European hammer throw champion Mihaela Melinte. Novac’s first notable performance occurred at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014, when he won the silver medal. In 2018, Alexandru Novac set a new national record for Romania, in the competition hosted by the city of Nembro in Italy, with a throw of 86 meters and 37 centimeters. With such a result, Novac is sure to have stepped onto a step of the podium in the Tokyo Olympics. In the Olympic final in Tokyo, Novac came in 12th, with a throw of 79 meters and 29 centimeters. The result was reason enough for the Romanian Athletics Federation to designate Alexandru Novac the Athlete of the week in 2021, in men’s events.


    (EN)


    —–




  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week


    The city of Leiria in Portugal late last week played host to the Europa Cup in throwing events. The Cup is one of the most noted athletic events, early into the ongoing international season. Representing Romania were several top-flight athletes. Among them, four had proved their mettle in the 2020 edition of the Tokyo Olympics. They were hammer thrower Bianca Ghelber, javelin thrower Alexandru Novac, Alex Firfirica, competing in the discus throw and Rareș Toader, in the shot-put event. Of the Romanians, Bianca Ghelber, was the favorite to winning a top position, since in Tokyo she came in 6th, which was the Romanian delegation’s best result. However, it was Alexandru Novac’s turn to shine since this past Sunday he won gold, with a throw of 80 meters and 49 centimeters, Novac’s best performance of the season. Alexandru Novac’s noteworthy result in Leiria was reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate him the Athlete of the week.



    In Leiria this past Saturday, discus thrower Alin Firfirică came in 6th, with a throw of 60 meters and 57 de centimeters. On Sunday, hammer thrower Bianca Ghelber came in 11th, with a throw of 67 de meters and 40 de centimeters, Bianca’s best result this season. In the shot-put event, Rareş Toader was 8th-placed, with a throw of 19 meters and 72 centimeters. In the women’s Under-23 version of the hammer throw event, Ana Adela Stanciu came in 6th, with a throw of 62 meters and 37 centimeters.



    Alexandru Novac will soon turn 25. He was born in Adjud, Vrancea County, in the east, on March 24, 1997. His coach is former world and European hammer throw champion Mihaela Melinte. Novac’s first notable performance occurred at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014, when he won the silver medal. In 2018, Alexandru Novac set a new national record for Romania, in the competition hosted by the city of Nembro in Italy, with a throw of 86 meters and 37 centimeters. With such a result, Novac is sure to have stepped onto a step of the podium in the Tokyo Olympics. In the Olympic final in Tokyo, Novac came in 12th, with a throw of 79 meters and 29 centimeters. The result was reason enough for the Romanian Athletics Federation to designate Alexandru Novac the Athlete of the week in 2021, in men’s events.


    (EN)


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  • Athletes of the week on Radio Romania International

    Athletes of the week on Radio Romania International

    The
    European Rowing Championships held in Poland’s Poznan this past weekend saw the
    Romanian delegation regaining its place among Europe’s elite. The Romanian
    delegation came in 3rd in the nations’ competition, with a record of
    six medals, of which four were gold, one silver and one bronze. The gold medals
    went to the women’s double sculls and men’s double sculls crews, who were joined
    by women’s coxless pair and women’s coxed octuple sculls crews. Romania’s men’s
    coxed octuple scull crew walked away with silver, while the bronze medal went
    to women’s coxless pair crew, the lightweight version.

    Of these feats, the most outstanding was that of the women’s double
    sculls crew. In the final, Nicoleta-Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Geanina Radiş took
    the lead from the very start of the race, also managing to have a constant
    distance from their contenders, all along the race. The Romanian clocked 6 mins, 56 secs and 860
    thousandths. Following suit was the Dutch crew made of Roos de Jong and Lisa
    Scheenaard, who finished the race more than six seconds later than the
    Romanians. Stepping onto the third step of the podium were Helene Lefebvre and Elodie
    Ravera-Scaramozzino. For their win, Ancuta Petru-Bodnar and Simona Radis have
    been designated the Athletes of the Week on Radio Romania International.

    Nicoleta-Ancuța
    Bodnar was born on September 25, 1998 in Suceava County’s Vatra Moldoviței, in
    the north. Simona Geanina Radiș also hails from a northern Romanian county,
    Botosani, where she was born on April 5, 1999. The two have paired up as
    competitors since 2019, when they succeeded to go through to the Tokyo Olympics
    since they became vice-world champions in the double sculls event, a noteworthy
    feat, for which the Romanian Rowing Federation designated them the Athletes of
    the Year in 2019. Ancuta Petru-Bodnar and Simona Radis have confirmed, when, in
    2020, they won the U-23 European title at the European Championships held in
    Germany’s Duisburg in September. The two have yet again confirmed their
    standing with their most recent win in Poznan.


    (translation by Eugen Nasta)

  • Jocuri Olimpice fără gimnastica românească

    Jocuri Olimpice fără gimnastica românească

    În urmă
    cu 40 de ani, românca Nadia Comăneci obţinea prima nota de 10 din istoria
    gimnasticii mondiale. Performanța a avut loc la Jocurile Olimpice de Vară de la
    Montreal, după prestația la paralele inegale. Afișajul electronic din acea
    vreme nu era programat să arate nota 10, așa că pe ecran a apărut nota 1.00.

    De
    atunci, de-a lungul anilor, gimnastele române au urcat pe podiumul olimpic şi au adus
    României cele mai multe medalii la Jocurile Olimpice: 25 de aur, 20 de argint
    și 26 de bronz. Echipa de gimnastică a României a fost o forță de care mulți se
    temeau şi care tot timpul s-a bătut pentru primele locuri. Din păcate, ea nu va
    fi prezentă la Jocurile Olimpice de la Rio din această vară. Un fapt care nu
    s-a mai petrecut din 1968, ediție desfășurată în Mexic.

    România a ratat, inexplicabil, calificarea la Rio, duminică, după ce a
    terminat pe locul 7 la turneul preolimpic, în condițiile în care doar primele
    patru clasate merg la Olimpiadă. La capătul unui concurs plin de ratări,
    cu unele sportive accidentate, România a încheiat concursul în urma Australiei,
    echipa care în urmă cu ceva timp nici nu conta în clasamentul mondial.
    Brazilia, Germania, Belgia și Franța au obținut calificarea la Rio, iar pentru
    România au rămas doar regretele.

    Pentru echipa condusă de pe margine de
    antrenorii Lucian Sandu, Adela Popa și Maria Fumea, au evoluat Diana Bulimar,
    Maria Holbură, Anamaria Ocolișan, Cătălina Ponor, Dora Vulcan și Silvia Zarzu.
    Deşi Cătălina Ponor, multiplă campioană şi
    medaliată olimpică, a obținut la
    bârnă cea mai mare notă dintre românce, a ratat, în schimb, la sărituri. Diana
    Bulimar nu a avut nici ea un parcurs bun la paralele, Ocolișan și Vulcan au
    luat, la rândul lor, note mici la acest aparat, cel mai greu în opinia
    specialiştilor. În sfârşit, Vulcan și Zarzu au avut evoluţii modeste la sol.

    Echipa de gimnastică feminină a României încheie, astfel, calificarea la JO de la Rio în
    genunchi şi în lacrimi. Această contraperformanță survine după ce și echipa
    masculină, medaliată cu bronz la Atena în 2004, a ratat, la rândul său,
    calificarea la JO din acest an.

    România
    va avea, totuşi, trei reprezentanți la Olimpiadă. La masculin pe Marian
    Drăgulescu și încă un gimnast, care va fi desemnat ulterior oficial. Echipele
    care nu se califică beneficiază de un loc oferit de Federația Internațională,
    iar Drăgulescu și-a obținut prezența la JO după Campionatele Mondiale de la
    Glasgow din 2015, atunci când a ocupat poziția a doua la sărituri. Cum la
    feminin nimeni nu a reușit acest lucru la CM și nici echipa nu s-a calificat,
    România va primi o invitație din partea forului internațional.