Radio România Internațional

Tag: rowing

  • The year 2024 in sports(I)

    The year 2024 in sports(I)

    2024 was an auspicious year for Romanian sports. Romanian athletes’ performance at the Paris Olympics maintained Romania among the world’s elite nations, especially in rowing, a sports discipline where Romanian athletes put on a stellar performance.

    The year’s first notable event was the Australian Open, held in Melbourne in January. No Romanian competitor represented Romania in the men’s singles, while in the women’s version of the tournament, no Romanian tennis player could go past the first round.

    In the men’s doubles, Victor Cornea, jointly with India’s Nsriram Balaji, reached as far as the second round. In the women’s doubles and pairing up with Slovak-born Spanish tennis player Rebeka Masarova, Ana Bogdan stopped also in the second round. Also in January, in high diving, the Romanian Constantin Popovici became the new Red Bull Cliff Diving champion.

    In February, 2024, Romanian wrestlers and weightlifters walked away with medals at the European wrestling championships in Bucharest and the weightlifting championships in Sofia. In wrestling, gold went to Andreea Ana in the 55-kilogram category. Silver went to Kateryna Zelenykh in the 65-kilogram category and to Alexandra Anghel in the 73-kilogram category. Bronze went to Denis Florin Mihai, in the 55-kilogram category and to Răzvan Arnăut in the 60-kilogram category, both in the Greek-Roman style. In weightlifting, Mihaela Cambei in the 49-kilogram category won gold in the snatch, clean-and-jerk styles and combined.

    In the 71-kilogram category, Loredana Toma won gold in the snatch event and combined. In the clean-and-jerk event Valentin Ionadi Iancu won silver in the 61-kilogram category. Also in the clean-and-jerk event Ioana Mădălina Miron and Andreea Cotruţa won bronze, in the 45-and 59-kilogram category, respectively.

    In March, the Kenyan-born Romanian athlete Joan Chelimo Melly won the half-marathon race in Paris. Joan set a new national record. Romanian athletes also compelled recognition in the European throws Cup, held in Portugal’s Leiria. Alin Firfirica won gold in discus throw, then Bianca Ghelber, in the hammer throw event and Alexandru Novac in the javelin throw event won silver. Also in the javelin throw event, this time as part of the U-23 contest, Vlad Alexandru Turcu walked away with bronze. In rugby, the Romania national team came in 4th as part of the 2024 edition of Rugby Europe championship, the second-tier competition after the Six Nations Tournament.

    In April, Corona Braşov won the Erste Liga ice hockey regional competition. In the final, Corona defeated Hungarian opponents Ferencváros in four consecutive matches, two in Brasov and two in Budapest. Then in Bucharest, Hungarian tennis player Márton Fucsovics was the men’s single event as part of the ATP 250 Ţiriac Open, an event with 579 thousand euro in prize money all told. In the final, Fucsovics defeated Argentinean challenger Mariano Navone, cu 6-4, 7-5.

    The European Rowing Championships in Szeged followed, with the Romanian delegation winning no less than eight medals, four gold, two silver and two bronze. Stepping onto the highest step of the podium were women’s lightweight coxed eight and the women’s pair crews as well as men’s double sculls crew. At the European Boxing Championships in Belgrade, Lăcrămioara Perijoc won silver in the 54-kilogram category, while Claudia Nechita wo bronze in the 57-kilogram category.

    At the European women’s gymnastics championship held in Italy’s Rimini in May, the Romanian delegation won two medals. Both silver medals were won by Sabrina Maneca Voinea in the beam and floor finals. In the nations; competition, Romania came in 4th. In women’s handball, CSM Bucharest wasted the opportunity to qualify for the Champions league’s final tournament. In the quarterfinals, holders CSM was defeated in both legs of the tie against French challengers Metz Handball, at home, 24-27, and away, 23-29.

    The summer’s first major event was the European football championship in Germany. The national squad met the set target, that of reaching the knockout phase and even won Group E, which included Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine. The Romanians managed to put on a good performance in all their fixtures and they kind of struck it lucky in the match against Ukraine, which they won, 2-nil. They then they lost to Belgium, a far better team, nil-2 and drew level, 1-all, in the game against Slovakia, one of the tournament’s pleasant surprises,

    For Romania, the team spirit prevailed in each of the fixtures they played at EURO 2024. They fought all throughout the tournament, they put in a lot of effort and determination they could not make up for the difference in status which separates the Romanians from Europe’s great teams. They were unable to go past the round of 16, having lost, in Munich, the game against the Low Countries team, nil-3. However, the Romanians benefitted from the tremendous boost offered by the fans, who were in the stands all the time and frantically supported the team.

  • Olympic profile 2024

    Olympic profile 2024

    Rowing was, at the Paris Olympics, Romania delegation’s strongest point. Of the 9 medals won by the Romanian athletes, 5 were won by the rowers. Of the 13 athletes that stepped onto a step of the podium in the rowing events, four rowers won two medals each, one gold and one silver.

    Two of the rowers are Ioana Vrânceanu and Roxana Anghel, who came in second in the women’s pair event. The other two are Simona Radiş and Ancuţa Bodnar, silver medalists in the double sculls event. Vranceanu, Anghel, Radis and Bodnar are also members of the coxed eight crew, winner of the Olympic title.

    This week we shall focus on Ioana Vrânceanu and Roxana Anghel.

    Ahead of their excellent run in Paris, Vranceanu and Anghel won the European title in women’s double sculls event in Szeged, in 2024. At the World Championship in Belgrade, in 2023, Vranceanu and Anghel won the bronze medal. As part of the of the Paris Olympics they had no problem going past the heats and then securing a laid-back qualification to the semifinals.

    Vranceanu and Anghel then came in second in the first semifinals and reached as far as the finals. Winning a medal was a hard-fought undertaking. The Romanians had a sluggish start, being 5th-placed after the first 500 meters. Then they advanced with one position after the other in each intermediate point. Halfway through the race they were fourth placed and in 1,500 meters came in third.

    Vranceanu and Anghel completed the race on the second position, having outclassed Lithuania and Australia. Gold went to defending world champions, the Dutch Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester. The Australian crew stepped onto the second step of the podium.

    In the coxed eight event, the Romanian crew succeeded a laid-back win arriving five seconds earlier than Great Britain’s boat that carried the runner-up crew. Joining Vrânceanu, Anghel, Bodnar and Radiş in the coxed eight boat were Maria Magdalena Rusu, Maria Lehaci, Adriana Adam, Amalia Bereş and Victoria Ştefania Petreanu as coxswain.

    Ioana Vrânceanu was born on March 7, 1994 in Târgu Mureş, central Transylvania. Ioana’s first great performance occurred in 2017, when she was a member of Romania’s coxed eight crew, a gold medalist at the World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida, the USA.

    Roxana Anghel hails from Câmpulung Moldovenesc, in the north. She was born on January 1st, 1998. She got a taste for major wins in 2019, as a member of the coxed eight crew that emerged as winner of the European title in Lucerne.

  • Olympic Profiles

    Olympic Profiles

    107 Romanian athletes competed in the Paris Games this summer. Of them, 16 came home with medals: the swimmer David Popovici, the weightlifter Mihaela Cambei, the gymnast Maria Bărbosu and 13 rowers. Four members of the Romanian rowing team won two medals each, including one gold and one silver. Simona Radiş and Ancuţa Bodnar won the silver in the women’s double sculls, while Ioana Vrânceanu and Roxana Anghel won the silver in the women’s coxless pair, while also being part of the women’s eight crew who won the gold medal in Paris.

    Three years ago, at the Tokyo Games, Radiş and Bodnar won the gold in the women’s double sculls, this being Romania’s only gold medal at that edition of the Games. In 2022 and 2023 they won the world title and went to Paris as favourites for the gold. They clocked the best time in the heats, but got nervous in the semifinals, ranking fourth in the second semis after 1,500 m, which meant they would not have made it to the final, as only the three best-ranked crews would qualify. They had a remarkable finish, however, and won the semifinal. In the final, they were in the lead more than half of the race, but lost in the end to the New Zealand crew by 0.14 seconds. They then formed part of the women’s eight crew who won that race categorically, finishing by 5 seconds ahead of the crew in second place, Great Britain. Apart from Vrânceanu, Anghel, Bodnar and Radiş, whom we have already mentioned, the Romanian women’s eight also included Maria Magdalena Rusu, Maria Lehaci, Adriana Adam, Amalia Bereş and Victoria Ştefania Petreanu.

    Let us also note that Ancuța Bodnar was born in Vatra Moldoviţei, in Suceava county, on 25th September 1998. Simona Radiş hails from Botoşani, and was born on 5th April 1999. The two rowers first teamed up in 2019, when they won the silver at the European Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland.

  • The Athlete of the Week

    The Athlete of the Week

    Romania took first place in the medal ranking of the World Rowing Championships that ended on Sunday in Canada, in St. Catharines. The Romanian athletes won seven medals, all gold, of which four were for juniors, two for youth and one for seniors. In the under 19 competitions, the Romanians won medals in the women’s single sculls, in the men’s and women’s pair and in the women’s coxless four. In the under 23 competitions, the Romanian women rowers won gold medals in the quadruple and double sculls events. Finally, the gold medal in the seniors’ competition was won by Ionela Cozmiuc, in the lightweight women’s single sculls, which is why Radio Romania International designated her the Athlete of the Week.

     

    In St. Catharines, in the seniors’ category there were only competitions in non-Olympic events, such as the lightweight single sculls. Ionela Cozmiuc dominated the competition starting with the heats phase, scheduled last Tuesday, in which she managed to qualify to the semifinals. On Friday, she won the semifinal in which she competed, after crossing the finish line almost nine seconds earlier than the next ranked athlete. In the final held on Saturday, she finished in 7 minutes, 29 seconds and 92 hundredths, a second and a half ahead of the Greek Zoi Fitsiou, who ranked second. The Irish Siobhan Mccrohan came in third, more than three seconds behind the winner.

     

    After the contest in Canada, Ionela Cozmiuc and her husband, Marius Cozmiuc, announced their retirement from competitions. Known at the beginning of her career as Ionela Lehaci, the valuable Romanian athlete was born on January 3, 1995 in Câmpulung Moldovenesc (north). At the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris, she won the silver medal in the lightweight women’s double sculls alongside Gianina van Groningen. Apart from this year’s success, in St. Catharines, her medal record also includes three gold medals at the World Championships, of which one in the lightweight women’s single sculls, and two in the lightweight women’s double sculls also together with Gianina. In the European Championships, she won gold twice in the single sculls and once in the double sculls, this very year, in Szeged, Hungary, also together with Gianina van Groningen, formerly Beleagă. (LS)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

     

    The 2024 World Rowing Championships came to an end in St. Catherines, Canada. In the senior competition, where only non-Olympic events were held, Romania won a gold medal thanks to Ionela Cozmiuc, in the lightweight single sculls category. After the competition, the athlete announced her withdrawal from competitions. In the under-23 events, Romanian rowers won gold medals in the quadruple sculls and coxless pair competitions. The Romanian athletes had the best results in the under-19 category, with 4 gold medals, in the women’s single sculls, men’s and women’s coxless pair and quadruple sculls.

     

    Cătălin Chirilă won the bronze medal in the 500-m canoe event this Sunday, at the 2024 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The winner was Serghey Tarnovschi, of the Republic of Moldova, followed by Martin Fuksa of the Czech Republic. In the 200-m single canoe event, Chirilă came out 8th. Previously, on Saturday, Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă finished 5th in the 1,000-m men’s canoe pair competition.

     

    The Romanian footballer Dennis Man played in the 2nd round of the Italian top football league. He scored the first goal of his team, Parma, in the second minute of their match against AC Milan, which they won 2-1.

     

    We end with news from domestic football. This weekend saw matches counting towards the 7th round of the Romanian SuperLeague. On Friday, in Ploieşti, Petrolul drew 0-0 against Otelul Galaţi, and Rapid Bucharest won away from home against Poli Iaşi, 2-1. On Saturday, Unirea Slobozia won 1-0, in Sfântu Gheorghe, against Sepsi OSK, while Dinamo defeated Universitatea Craiova, in Bucharest, 2-1. On Sunday, CFR Cluj beat FC Botoşani 3-0, on home turf, and Hermannstadt defeated FCSB 2-0 in Sibiu. Top ranking are Craiova, with 14 points. (AMP)

  • Olympic Update

    Olympic Update

    Romanian athlete Alina Rotaru – Kottmann came in 7th in the long-jump final held on Stade de France nearby paris. Alina Rotaru’s best jump measured 6 meters and 67 centimetres. US athlete Tara Davis-Woodhall won gold with a jump of 7 metres and 10 centimetres. The silver medal went to German athlete Malaika Mihambo, the Olympic champion in Tokyo in 2021, whose jump measured 6 metres and 98 centimetres. Another US athlete, Jasmine Moore, won bronze, with a jump of 6 metres and 96 centimetres. Romania last won an Olympic medal in Athletics in 2008 in Beijing, when Constantina Dita won gold in the marathon.

    Also on Thursday, rowers Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă won the B Final of the C2 men’s 500m race. According to the final rankings, Sprincean and Nuta came in 9th, clocking one minute, 43 seconds and 80 hundredths of a second. The Romanian C2 rowers on Thursday came in 5th in the second semi-final. The bottom-of-the-table position denied the Romanians participation to the A Final.

    In a repechage confrontation this past Wednesday Romanian wrestler Andreea Beatrice Ana in the 53-kilogram category was defeated by North-Korea’s Hyo Gyong Choe. A three-time world champion in the 55-kilogram category, in the round of 16 Ana defeated Republic of Moldova’s Mariana Drăguţan, yet in the quarterfinals Ana sustained a defeat by Lucia Yepez Guzman of Ecuador. The South-American wrestler reached as far as the finals so the Romanian competed in the repechage. However, Ana was clearly dominated by her North-Korean opponent who went on to win bronze, having defeated Annika Wendle of Germany in the decisive confrontation.

    Romanian athlete Annaliese Drăgan has wasted the opportunity to qualify to rhythmic gymnastics’ all-around final. Dragan ranked 21st in the qualifiers. 18-year-old Anneliese Dragan, a first-timer at the Olympic Games, was Romania’s only representative competing in rhythmic gymnastics in Paris.

  • Olympic update

    Olympic update

    Weightlifter Mihaela Cambei on Wednesday walked away with silver in the 49-kilogram category. Combined, Cambei succeeded a deadlift of 205 kilograms. In the final attempt in the competition, Cambei was outperformed by defending Olympic champion, China’s Zhihui Hou, whose reported combined deadlift stood at 206 kilograms.

    In the snatch style, Cambei had a deadlift of 93 de kilograms succeeding 112 kilograms combined. Winner Zhihui Hou’s 117-kilogram clean-and-jerk deadlift was a new Olympic record. With a combined deadlift of 200 kilograms, Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao walked home with bronze. In the 71-kilogram category, Loredana Toma will prove her mettle on Friday. Romania last won an Olympic weightlifting medal in Atlanta, in 1996, when Nicu Vlad won bronze.

    Cătălin Chirilă on Wednesday advanced to the C1 men’s 1000m final, Chirila won the third heat of the qualifiers, clocking 3 minutes, 44 seconds and 75 hundredths of a second and set a new Olympic record. A world champion in 2022 and a vice-world champion in 2023, Chirila broke a 20-year-old record set by Spain’s David Cal at the Athens Olympics. The semi-finals and the finals are scheduled on Friday.

    In the Olympic discus throw final hosted by Stade de France on Wednesday, the Romanian athlete Alin Alexandru Firfirica came in 11th. His best throw measured 64 meters and 45 centimeters. The winner was Jamaican athlete Roje Stone, with a throw of 70 meters, thus setting a new Olympic record.

    Also in news from athletics, Andrea Miklos wasted the opportunity to advance to the 400m final. In the semifinal she competed in, Miklos ranked 15th, clocking 50 seconds and 78 hundredths of a second, eventually coming in 5th. Romania last won an athletics Olympic medal in athletics in 2008, when Constantina Dita won gold in the marathon.

  • 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.

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    OG 2024 – Romanian performance

    By Friday, August 2, during the first week of the Olympic Games in Paris, Romanian athletes won 6 medals – 2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze. At the age of 19, swimmer David Popovici won the final of the 200-meter freestyle event, then won bronze in the 100-meter freestyle final. And rowing provided real moments of joy. Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache won the gold medals in men’s double rowing. Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiş also had a heroic race, ending with silver medals in women’s double rowing. Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel won the silver in the women’s double sculls, and Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc – also the silver – in the women’s double sculls, light category. We remind you that Romania’s team at the Olympic Games in the French capital, which will end on August 11, consists of 106 athletes competing in 18 sports disciplines.

    New Romanian sites on the UNESCO Heritage List

    The Monumental Ensemble ‘Way of Heroes’, made by Constantin Brâncuşi in Târgu Jiu, a city from his native region in the southwest of Romania, as well as the Borders of the Roman Empire – Dacia, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision was taken by the World Heritage Committee during its 46th session, held in India. The “Way of Heroes” is a sculptural ensemble erected between 1937 and 1938, consisting of the Endless Column, dedicated to the Romanian heroes who fell in the First World War in the region, the Kissing Gate, and the Table of Silence, surrounded by 12 round chairs, completed by 30 chairs with a square headboard, all placed directly on the ground, as a natural plinth. The ensemble represents a turning point in the history of modern art, especially monumental sculpture and public art. As for the Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia, this represents the most complex nomination for the World Heritage List prepared by Romania so far. The case file lists 285 elements scattered along more than 1,000 kilometers, in 16 counties of Romania. Romania has 9 more objectives included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

    Sex scandal in the Romanian university environment

    The Ministry of Education in Bucharest has asked for investigations to be made in universities regarding the cases of sexual harassment that have been in the headlines of the Romanian news for several days. The National Council of Rectors will make a Guide of good practices regarding behavior in the university environment . The measures were announced after several female students declared, in the public space, that they were sexually abused by their teachers, and that their behavior was known among the professional entourage of the respective teaching staff, but that no one took any action. Three names are heavily circulated – sociologists Alfred Bulai and Marius Pieleanu, both from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA), as well as professor Dorin Ştefan Adam from the University of Architecture in the Capital. Alfred Bulai denies the accusations, but submitted his request for retirement. SNSPA suspended him from the position of director of the Department of Sociology, he will no longer teach during the internal investigation by the Faculty’s Ethics Commission, and he has a criminal record for using his position for sexual purposes. Meanwhile, dozens of people sent emails to the Prosecutor’s Office about his behavior. Marius Pieleanu was accused of sexual harassment by Ana Birchall herself, former Minister of Justice, but the Public Prosecutor’s Office says that it has not received any notification in this case. In the end, Dorin Ştefan Adam asked to be suspended from teaching work at the School of Architecture, after female students claimed that he was sending them indecent messages and naked pictures of himself. On the other hand, the Control Corps of the Ministry of Culture will go to the National Art Museum of Romania, after receiving memos, including about actions that can be interpreted as sexual harassment. In Thursday’s Government meeting, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu emphasized that such situations cannot be tolerated, regardless of the name of the aggressor. The Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, spoke about possible measures being considered – among them, one that provides that reports be sent directly to prosecutors, even if they are anonymous. And the Minister of the Family, Natalia Intotero, urged all those who feel that there is pressure on them or harassment to not wait, and to notify the authorities immediately.

    Romanian firefighters on duty in Greece

    The requests from abroad addressed to Romanian firefighters are proof that the civil defense system works – declared the Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu, on the occasion of the departure of a contingent of rescue workers to Greece. They have proven their ability to save lives, to protect communities, in the country and abroad – the official recalled. The current mission of the Romanian firefighters is carried out within the framework of the European Mechanism for Civil Protection, with European funding. A first contingent of 40 firefighters, accompanied by 8 technical devices, went to Greece to help the Greek authorities manage the situations caused by the fires. They will be replaced, after a few weeks, by two other batches of rescuers. The Romanian firefighters are requested for the 4th time in a row to send contingents to Greece.

  • 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.

  • Olympic Update

    Olympic Update

    Three Romanian rowing crews on Tuesday qualified to the finals of the Olympic Games in Paris. In lightweight women’s pair defending Olympic champions Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş won the second semi-finals and secured a nail-biting position in the finals.

    After three quarters of the race Bodnar and Radis were fourth placed, but their finish was extraordinary. Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache qualified to the men’s pair final, having come in 3rd in the first semi-final. The men’s quadruple sculls crew made of Ştefan Berariu, Sergiu Bejan, Andrei Mândrilă and Ciprian Tudosă secured their position in the finals, having come in 2nd in the repechage.

    Also qualifying to the final were women’s coxless quadruple sculls and the coxed eight crews.

    Romania’s women’s gymnastics team came in 7th in the nations’ competition final held on Tuesday. The winner was the team of the United States, followed by Italy and Brazil. For the Romanians, it was the first Olympic final since 2012 when, at the London Olympics, the team stepped onto the third step of the podium. Stepping out of the line in the Romanian team was Ana Barbosu who got 13.933 points in the vault event. Also, Sabrina Voinea got 13.900 points in the floor event and 13.800 points in the beam event.

    Romania’s national water polo team has also lost its second game as part of the Olympics, On Tuesday Romania sustained a 8-14 defeat by the United States. Romania’s scorers were Vlad Georgescu and Silvian Colodrovschi, with three goals each, and Andrei Neamţu and Matei Luţescu. Bogdan Rath’s trainees had a bracing start, leading in the first half, 1-nil, 2-1 and 3-2. Yet the US were quick to level the score. Then a dismal period followed, with Romania receiving seven goals in a row and the scoreboard displaying a 9-3 advantage for the United States, from a meagre 3-2 advantage for Romania. The Americans succeeded to maintain their six-goal advantage to the end, although the game became more balanced. We recall Romania previously sustained a 7-14 defeat by vice-Olympic champions Greece.

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    Attention-grabbing this past weekend was the kick-start of the Olympic Games in Paris. A couple of Romanian athletes have already entered the competition and their results so far are honorably above par.

    Romanian women’s gymnastics team have qualified to the Olympic finals, an absolute first after a disappointing 12-year gap. The Romanian gymnasts came come in 8th in the qualifiers, also succeeding several positions in the individual events. Ana Maria Bărbosu and Amalia Ghigoarţă will compete in the all-around finals. Sabrina Maneca Voinea has advanced to the beam and floor finals. Ana Maria Barbosu has also qualified to the floor final.

    In rowing, Romania’s women’s four crew made of Adriana Adam, Maria Lehaci, Magdalena Rusu and Amalia Bereş has qualified straight to the A Final. The Romanian crew came in second in the second heat, being outclassed by the Netherlands. The first two crews in the heats have secured their participation to the finals, while the following teams, in descending order, will prove their mettle in the repechage. Other Romanian crews have also qualified to the semifinals, such as the women’s pair and the women’s lightweight double sculls, as well as the men’s and women’s pair crews.

    In table tennis, Bernadette Szőcs and Ovidiu Ionescu were unable to go past the mixed doubles quarterfinals Szocs and Ionescu were defeated by South Korea’s Jonghoon Lim and Yubin Shin, 4-nil. In the individual event, Bernadette will carry on competing, having made it to the round of 32.

    In water polo, in their debut game in Paris, the Romanian national team sustained a 7-14 defeat by Greece. The latter team had the upper hand all throughout the game, succeeding a fairly laid-back win.

    In the other Group A matches, Croatia defeated Montenegro, 11-8, while Italy outperformed the United States, 12-8. Romania will next play the United States on July 30. The first four teams in descending order qualify to the quarterfinals.

    Matches counting towards the third round as part of the Romanian football Super League’s were played at the weekend, On Friday, Hermannstadt FC and Unirea Slobozia, drew, one-all, in a fixture hosted by Sibiu team, while FCSB sustained a nil- 2 defeat by Oţelul Galaţi. On Saturday, Gloria Buzău grabbed a 2-1 away win against Poli Iaşi cu 2-1, while in Sfântu Gheorghe, the local side Sepsi and Dinamo Bucureşti drew, 1-all.

    On Sunday, FC Botoşani snatched a 1-nil away win against Farul Constanta, in Ovidiu, while in Cluj, Universitatea succeeded a 2-nil away win against CFR. With a similar number of points, 7, Universitatea Craiova, Oţelul Galaţi and Sepsi are leaders according to the current standings.

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

     

    Romania’s rowing team finished second at the European Championships held last week in Szeged, Hungary. With 8 medals, of which 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze, Romania was only outperformed by Britain, with 10 medals, 8 of which were gold, one silver and one bronze.

     

    Romania won gold medals in the women’s eight, women’s double sculls and pairs, and the men’s double sculls event. The biggest performance in this year’s championships was that of Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel, the winners of gold medals both in the women’s pair event and in the women’s eight race, for which Radio Romania International designated them the Athletes of the Week.

     

    Ioana Vrînceanu was born in Târgu Neamț, north-eastern Romania, on March 7, 1994. She is a member of the Steaua Bucharest club, and she started winning medals in 2017, when she won the gold with Romania’s eight team both at the European Championships in Račice, and in the World Championships in Sarasota. In the double sculls event, she won the European title in 2022, in Munich, together with Denisa Tîlvescu, and then in Bled, with Roxana Anghel, last year.  At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, in 2021, she was part of the team that came out 6th in the women’s eight event.

     

    Roxana-Iuliana Anghel also comes from the north-east of Romania, more precisely from Câmpulung Moldovenesc, where she was born on January 1, 1998. A member of the Dinamo Bucharest club, Roxana-Iuliana Anghel also took part in the Tokyo Olympics, where she came out 9th in the quadruple sculls event. Since last year she has been competing in the women’s pair race together with Ioana Vrînceanu, with whom she has already won two European championships. (AMP)

  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club


    The year 2023 was an auspicious one for Romanian sports as compared to the latter period, mainly in certain sports disciplines. Exceptional results were reported for rowing. As for gymnastics and football, we have secured our comeback in the world’s great competitions.



    As usual, the end of the year brings with it the most prominent performers’ rankings, compiled by the sports federations and clubs.



    At the Romanian Rowing Federation, the best athlete title went to Simona Radis, world and European champion in the double sculls event, as well as European champion in the coxed eight event. Radis was also nominated the best member of Steaua Bucharest Army Sports Club.



    Dinamo Bucharest’s top-flight athletes are also award-winning rowers. They are Mădălina Bereş, Amalia Bereş and Maria Lehaci Tivodariu. The four had identical results in 2023: They won two gold medals each at the European Championships in Bled. Also, they won one gold medal and one silver medal each at the World Championships in Belgrade.



    For the second year in a row, Cătălin Chirilă has been designated the Romanian Kayak-Canoe Federation’s best athlete. In 2023, Catalin won one gold and one silver medal at the World Championships in Duisburg. It was also in Duisburg that Chirila secured his ticket for the Olympics. Also, Catalin Chirila won a silver medal at the European Games in Poland.



    The Roman Gymnastics Federation’s Executive Committee has designated the year’s best gymnasts. They are Sabrina Maneca Voinea, Andrei Muntean and David Gavrilovici Sabrina Maneca Voinea won bronze in the floor event as part of the European Championships in Antalya. Sabina came in 4th in the vault event, also securing her qualification to the 2024 edition of the Olympics. In artistic gymnastics, Andrei Muntean has qualified to the Olympic Games in Paris. In aerobic gymnastics, David Gavrilovici scooped the Shooting Star award as part of the European Championships in Antalya. Gavrilovici’s record back then was made of three gold medals, in trio, aerobic dance and in the teams’ event.




  • Athletes of the week

    Athletes of the week

    13 Romanian crews with 34 rowers proved their mettle in the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. The Romanian delegation came in 4th according to the final medal rankings. The Netherlands, Great Britain and Italy came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The Romanian delegation walked away with five medals. Two were gold, won by Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiș in womens pair and the coxed eight crew, another medal was silver, won by the womens quadruple sculls crew la while two other medals were bronze, won by womens double sculls crew and lightweight womens pair crew, 11 Romanian crews have qualified to the Paris Olympics of 2024.



    Defending Olympic champions Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radis won the first gold medal on Sunday, in the womens pair event. Bodnar and radis had no problem winning the race with more than a boats length, clocking 6 minutes, 46 seconds and 94 hundredths of a second. Second came in Donata Karaliene and Dovile Rimkute of Lithuania, while bronze was won by Kristina Wagner and Sophia Vitas of the USA, Thanks to their performance and for the manner in which they won the race, Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radis have been designated the Athletes of the week by Radio Romania International.



    25-year-old Ancuța Bodnar is signed up by Dinamo Bucharest sports club, while 24-year-old Simona Radiș is signed up by Steaua Bucharest sports club. Ancuta and Simona have paired up in the womens pair boat since 2019. The same year, Bodnar and Radis won silver in the European Championships held in Switzerlands Lucerne. The two won another silver medal in September, also in 2019, in the World Championships held in Linz, Austria. Two European titles followed the first one in Polands Poznan, in 2020 and the second one in Varese, Italy, in 2021. In the Tokyo Olympics, also in 2021, Bodnar and Radis won the Romanian delegations only Olympic medal. The two won yet another European title in 2022, in Munich, Germany and a world title, in Racice, the Czech Republic, In May, 2023, Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radis became European champions in Bled, Slovenia.