Radio România Internațional

Tag: sculls

  • 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.

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    The World Swimming Championships are underway in Fukukoa, Japan. The Romanian swimmers who have competed so far have succeeded lacklustre results. All hopes are pinned on diver Constantin Popovici and on David Popovici, who competes in the freestyle event. Constantin Popovici is the European high-diving champion. He competes on Friday, jumping off the 10-meter platform, while the high-diving event is scheduled next week. The defending 100m and 200m freestyle world champion David Popovici competes next week as well.



    The World U-23 Rowing Championships are underway in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The Romanian womens quadruple sculls crew was the first Romanian crew to have advanced to the finals. The crew was made of Emanuela-Ioana Ciotău, Alexandra Ungureanu, Cristina Drugă and Patricia Cireş. At the 2022 edition of the World Youth Championships held in Varese, Italy, Romania walked away with three medals: gold in the womens double scull, silver in the womens quadruple sculls and bronze in mens pair events.



    In news from womens volleyball, Romanian title holders Romanian title holders Alba Blaj will play in the Champions Leagues 2nd preliminary round, according to the drawing of lots carried in Luxembourg this past Wednesday. Volei Alba Blaj go against Kralovo Pole Brno, of the Czech Republic, Gran Canaria of Spain and Hapoel Kfar Saba of Israel. The fixtures are scheduled in October. The first two teams in descending order advance to the second preliminary round, to be held as a tournament.



    In the Champions Leagues first preliminary round, Romanian mens volleyball champion team, Arcada Galaţi, has been included in a three-team group, alongside Croatias Mladost Zagreb and Guaguas Las Palmas of Spain. The first two teams in descending order advance to the second qualifying round.



    The World Fencing Championships kick-start in Milan at the weekend. Apart from medals, the competition offers important points for the qualification to the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris. Romania has entered a 15-strong delegation for the coopetition, of which 12 girls and 5 boys. In the womens version of the championships Romania will have three complete teams for all three events, while in the mens version, Romania will only have a complete team in the sabre event.


  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan this past Sunday sustained a 4-6, 1-6 defeat by Caroline Garcia, in the final of the WTA tournament in Warsaw, an event with 251.750 USD in prize money. In the quarterfinal, Garcia had defeated WTA number 1 tennis player Polish Iga Swiatek. For Ana Bogdan, the tournament in Warsaw was the first such event where Ana reached as far as the final. Her notable feat earned Ana Bogdan33 notches up according to the world rankings. The Romanian is now 75th-placed.


    The 16th summer edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival drew to a close in Slovakia’s Banska Bystrica on Saturday. With 5 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze medals, Romania came in 8th according to the nations’ competition. Gold went to the women’s artistic gymnastics team, discus thrower Mihai Damian Motorca, 100-kilogram competitor, judoka Bogdan Alexandru Petre, and gymnast Amalia Puflea, for her floor and beam performance.



    Romania this past Sunday won four medals in the World Under-19 Rowing Championships hosted by the Italian city of Varese. Gold went to the women’s four crew, made of Andreea Todorică, Iulia Nedelcu, Delia Gradinaciuc and Ana-Maria Matran. Silver went to the women’s coxless four crew, while the bronze medals were won by the women’s coxed quadruple sculls and men’s coxless quadruple sculls crews. According to the final rankings in terms of medals, Romania came in 6th.



    Matches counting towards the Romanian football Superleague’s third round were played at the weekend. In Pitesti on Friday, FC Arges defeated Universitatea Cluj, 3-1, while in Ovidiu, in the south east, Farul Constanţa were held by Chindia Târgovişte to a blank draw. In Mioveni, on Saturday, FC Voluntari had no problem outclassing UTA Arad, 3-nil, then in Cluj, CFR trounced CS Mioveni, 4-2. In Ploiesti, on Sunday, Petrolul drew against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, 1-all. Rapid Bucharest grabbed a 1-nil away win against Universitatea Craiova. Also on Sunday, FCSB and FC U Craiova drew 1-all, in Bucharest. Farul Constanta are at the top of the table with 7 points. Following are FC Botoşani, FC Voluntari, Rapid, CFR Cluj and FC Argeş, with 6 points each. (EN)





  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan this past Sunday sustained a 4-6, 1-6 defeat by Caroline Garcia, in the final of the WTA tournament in Warsaw, an event with 251.750 USD in prize money. In the quarterfinal, Garcia had defeated WTA number 1 tennis player Polish Iga Swiatek. For Ana Bogdan, the tournament in Warsaw was the first such event where Ana reached as far as the final. Her notable feat earned Ana Bogdan33 notches up according to the world rankings. The Romanian is now 75th-placed.


    The 16th summer edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival drew to a close in Slovakia’s Banska Bystrica on Saturday. With 5 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze medals, Romania came in 8th according to the nations’ competition. Gold went to the women’s artistic gymnastics team, discus thrower Mihai Damian Motorca, 100-kilogram competitor, judoka Bogdan Alexandru Petre, and gymnast Amalia Puflea, for her floor and beam performance.



    Romania this past Sunday won four medals in the World Under-19 Rowing Championships hosted by the Italian city of Varese. Gold went to the women’s four crew, made of Andreea Todorică, Iulia Nedelcu, Delia Gradinaciuc and Ana-Maria Matran. Silver went to the women’s coxless four crew, while the bronze medals were won by the women’s coxed quadruple sculls and men’s coxless quadruple sculls crews. According to the final rankings in terms of medals, Romania came in 6th.



    Matches counting towards the Romanian football Superleague’s third round were played at the weekend. In Pitesti on Friday, FC Arges defeated Universitatea Cluj, 3-1, while in Ovidiu, in the south east, Farul Constanţa were held by Chindia Târgovişte to a blank draw. In Mioveni, on Saturday, FC Voluntari had no problem outclassing UTA Arad, 3-nil, then in Cluj, CFR trounced CS Mioveni, 4-2. In Ploiesti, on Sunday, Petrolul drew against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, 1-all. Rapid Bucharest grabbed a 1-nil away win against Universitatea Craiova. Also on Sunday, FCSB and FC U Craiova drew 1-all, in Bucharest. Farul Constanta are at the top of the table with 7 points. Following are FC Botoşani, FC Voluntari, Rapid, CFR Cluj and FC Argeş, with 6 points each. (EN)





  • Athletes of the Year 2021

    Athletes of the Year 2021

    The Tokyo Olympics were the most
    important sports event of the year 2021. Although held one year later than
    scheduled, the competitions were by no means less spectacular. New records were
    set, new champions emerged, while some of the old ones reconfirmed their worth.


    In Tokyo, Romania’s delegation went
    up on the Olympic podium 4 times, with rowing occasioning 3 of these instances.
    The most valuable medals were won by the women’s double sculls team made up of Simona
    Radiș and Ancuța Bodnar, winners of the Olympic gold. Silver medals went to Mihăiţă
    Ţigănescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Ştefan Berariu and Cosmin Pascari in the men’s coxless
    four event, and to Ciprian Tudosă and Marius Cozmiuc for the coxless pair event.


    The only individual medal was won in
    fencing, where veteran Ana-Maria Popescu won the silver in the epee final.


    Thanks to these performances, Radio
    Romania International designates Olympic champions Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona
    Radiş as Athletes of the Year 2021.


    In the double sculls final, Bodnar and
    Radiş won by a comfortable margin, after having led the race from beginning to
    the end. Second came the rowers of New Zealand and the Netherlands. The Romanian
    team finished in 6:41:03, a new Olympic record over 3 seconds better than the
    previous one, set in London in 2012 by Britain’s team.


    Ancuţa Bodnar was born on 25th September 1998, in
    the village of Vatra Moldoviţei in Suceava County (north). She races for the
    Bucharest club Dinamo. Simona Radiş is a few months younger: born on 5th
    April 1999, in Botoşani (also in the north), and a member of the rival club,
    Steaua Bucharest.

    The 2 athletes have been part of the same double sculls team
    since 2019. Their first major performance was recorded in the same year, in
    early June-the silver medal in the European Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland.
    Later that year, in September, in Linz, they won the silver in the World
    Championships.

    The next major competition was the 2020 European Championship in
    Poznan, Poland, followed by the 2021 European Championship in Varese, Italy, in
    which Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş won the gold. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    We begin with the latest from rowing. As part of the European
    rowing championships held in Poland’s Poznan, the Romanian double sculls crew
    made of Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi this past Sunday won the bronze
    medals in the 1000m race. The German and Russian boats were the only ones to
    have succeeded to overtake Chirila and Mihalachi. The two Romanian rowers have
    also booked their tickets for the Tokyo Olympics.


    In news from women’ s boxing, the Romanian Maria
    Claudia Nechita this past Sunday secured her ticket for the Tokyo Olympics, in
    the 57-kilogram category. Nechita reached as far as the semifinals of the
    pre-Olympic tournament in Paris this past Sunday. In the quarter-finals, Maria Claudia nechita defeated
    Turkey’s Aycan Guldagi,
    5-nil. Only one Romanian boxer has
    qualified for the Tokyo Olympics apart from Nechita. His name is Cosmin
    Garleanu and he fights in the 52-kilgram category.


    The World Cup in Artistic Gymnastics held in Cairo saw
    Romanian gymnast Larisa Iordache walking away with gold in the beam event. Larisa
    had 13.366 points. Following the Romanian were Ukraine’s Dyana Varinska and
    Zeyna Ibrahim of Egypt. On Saturday Larisa Iordache won silver in the uneven
    parallel bars event.


    In news from football, this past Sunday the national
    team of England secured a 1-nil win in the friendly match they played against
    Romania. England’s Marcus Rashford scored from the spot on 68 minutes. A second
    penalty kick was granted to the host team in minute 78, but the Romanian goalie
    deflected the ball shot by Jordan Henderson. England had upper hand for the
    most part of the game and wasted a couple of other scoring opportunities. The
    Romanian line-up put on a lack-luster performance on the pitch and we’ve sadly
    got used to that as of late. Unfortunately, it was the fourth defeat in a row
    for the Romanian national team. We recall that before this past Sunday’s
    confrontation, England had never before defeated Romania on home turf.














  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    We begin with the latest from rowing. As part of the European
    rowing championships held in Poland’s Poznan, the Romanian double sculls crew
    made of Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi this past Sunday won the bronze
    medals in the 1000m race. The German and Russian boats were the only ones to
    have succeeded to overtake Chirila and Mihalachi. The two Romanian rowers have
    also booked their tickets for the Tokyo Olympics.


    In news from women’ s boxing, the Romanian Maria
    Claudia Nechita this past Sunday secured her ticket for the Tokyo Olympics, in
    the 57-kilogram category. Nechita reached as far as the semifinals of the
    pre-Olympic tournament in Paris this past Sunday. In the quarter-finals, Maria Claudia nechita defeated
    Turkey’s Aycan Guldagi,
    5-nil. Only one Romanian boxer has
    qualified for the Tokyo Olympics apart from Nechita. His name is Cosmin
    Garleanu and he fights in the 52-kilgram category.


    The World Cup in Artistic Gymnastics held in Cairo saw
    Romanian gymnast Larisa Iordache walking away with gold in the beam event. Larisa
    had 13.366 points. Following the Romanian were Ukraine’s Dyana Varinska and
    Zeyna Ibrahim of Egypt. On Saturday Larisa Iordache won silver in the uneven
    parallel bars event.


    In news from football, this past Sunday the national
    team of England secured a 1-nil win in the friendly match they played against
    Romania. England’s Marcus Rashford scored from the spot on 68 minutes. A second
    penalty kick was granted to the host team in minute 78, but the Romanian goalie
    deflected the ball shot by Jordan Henderson. England had upper hand for the
    most part of the game and wasted a couple of other scoring opportunities. The
    Romanian line-up put on a lack-luster performance on the pitch and we’ve sadly
    got used to that as of late. Unfortunately, it was the fourth defeat in a row
    for the Romanian national team. We recall that before this past Sunday’s
    confrontation, England had never before defeated Romania on home turf.