Radio România Internațional

Tag: snatch

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    The European Juniors and Youth Weightlifting Championship have been underway in the Polish locality of Raszyn since late last week. The Romanian athletes have already won many medals, in various categories. However, the best performance occurred in the very first day of the competition.

    For the U-23 women weightlifters, in the 49-kilogram category, Cosmina Pană a walked away with gold in the snatch style, with a deadlift of 73 kilograms. In the clean-and-jerk style, Pana won bronze in the 87-kilogram category. Also bronze went to Cosmina Pana, in the combined category, with a deadlift of 160 kilograms.

    Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Cosmina Pana the Athlete of the week.

    Entering the competition as part of the European Championships in Poland were 449 athletes of 35 countries. The Romanian delegation is made of 15 weightlifters, of whom 6 participate in the men’s version of the competition, while 9 others participate in the women’s version of the championships in Poland.

    The athlete of the week today, Adriana Cosmina Pană, is one of the Romania delegation’s most experienced competitors.

    She was born in Bacau, in 2001 on December 18. At the age of 13, Cosmina was spotted for her qualities by coach George Călin, of Bacau Municipal Sports Club. Cosmina Pana succeeded her first international performances in 2018 at the European Youth Championships in Italy’s San Donato Milanese. In the 44-kilogram category, Pana won bronze in the snatch style and bronze in the clean-and-jerk style and combined.

    In 2019, at the European Juniors’ Championships in Bucharest Cosmina Pana reiterated her performance. In the 45-kilogram category, Cosmina won bronze in the snatch style and silver in the clean and jerk style, also stepping onto the third step of the podium in the combined category. Also in the 45-kilogram category at the World Juniors Championships in Tashkent, in 2021, she won silver in the snatch style, with a deadlift of 84 kilograms.

    In the seniors’ competition, Cosmina Pana won her first European medals in 2023 as part of the European championships held in Armenia’s capital city Yerevan. Cosmina won silver in the snatch style and combined.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week




    The Romanian women weightlifters’
    performance for quite some time now has seen an upward trend. Among the
    weightlifters that have recently confirmed their status there is Loredana Toma,
    who last week walked away with three gold medals at the European Championships in
    Moscow. In the 64-kilogram category, Toma won gold in the snatch style, with a
    deadlift of 114 kilograms, a new European record. We recall Loredana Toma also set
    the previous performance, with a deadlift of 113 kilograms, on January 29, 2020
    in Rome. Back then the British weightlifter Sarah Davies won silver, with 101
    kilograms, while Russia’s Anastassya Anzorova walked home with bronze, with a
    deadlift of 100 kilograms. Loredana then won silver in the clean and jerk style, with a deadlift of 130 kilograms. Loredana Toma had a failed attempt at 137
    kilograms. Had she succeeded, Toma would have set a new European record. Davies was the runner-up
    weightlifter, with 129 kilograms, while Anzorova came in 3rd, with 122
    kilograms. So Loredana Toma emerged as winner overall, with 244 kilograms. We
    recall that overall, Loredana is the European record holder, with 249
    kilograms. The silver medal went to Sarah Davies, with 230 kilograms, while
    bronze went to Anzorova, with 222 kilograms. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to
    designate Loredana the Athlete of the week.


    In Moscow, Loredana Toma was designated the European Championship’s best weightlifter. According to the
    Sinclair rankings compiled by the European Weightlifting Federation, Loredana
    Toma came at the top of the table, with 317.1 points. Loredana’s challenger in
    the 64-kilogram category, British weightlifter Sarah Davies, was the runner-up
    competitor, with 299.4 points. Ukraine’s Kamila Konotop, in the 55-kilogram
    category, was 3rd-placed, with 298 points. Another Romanian, four-time
    European champion in the 49-kilogram category, Monica Csengeri, came in fourth,
    with 295.8 points.


    Loredana Toma was born on
    May 10, 1995, in the northern Romanian town of Botoşani. Loredana is a
    many-time winner of European U-21 and youth championships. In the senior’s
    version of European competitions, in 2013 and 2014, Loredana Toma walked away
    with silver in the 58-kilogram category. Over 2014 and 2016 Loredana was banned
    from competition since she tested positive for Stanozolol. Loredana Toma has
    been dominating the 63-kilogram category, the snatch as well as the clean and
    jerk style competitions, since the European championships held in Croatia in
    April 2017. In December 2017 at the World championships in Anaheim, the USA,
    Loredana Toma reconfirmed her status since she walked home with three other
    gold medals. At the European championships in Bucharest in 2018, Loredana Toma won
    a string of medals. In 2019, at the European championships in Batumi, Loredana was a three-time
    gold medalist. At the world championships in Thailand, also in 2019, Loredana
    won two bronze medals in the 64-kilogram category, in the clean and jerk style
    and overall.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week




    The Romanian women weightlifters’
    performance for quite some time now has seen an upward trend. Among the
    weightlifters that have recently confirmed their status there is Loredana Toma,
    who last week walked away with three gold medals at the European Championships in
    Moscow. In the 64-kilogram category, Toma won gold in the snatch style, with a
    deadlift of 114 kilograms, a new European record. We recall Loredana Toma also set
    the previous performance, with a deadlift of 113 kilograms, on January 29, 2020
    in Rome. Back then the British weightlifter Sarah Davies won silver, with 101
    kilograms, while Russia’s Anastassya Anzorova walked home with bronze, with a
    deadlift of 100 kilograms. Loredana then won silver in the clean and jerk style, with a deadlift of 130 kilograms. Loredana Toma had a failed attempt at 137
    kilograms. Had she succeeded, Toma would have set a new European record. Davies was the runner-up
    weightlifter, with 129 kilograms, while Anzorova came in 3rd, with 122
    kilograms. So Loredana Toma emerged as winner overall, with 244 kilograms. We
    recall that overall, Loredana is the European record holder, with 249
    kilograms. The silver medal went to Sarah Davies, with 230 kilograms, while
    bronze went to Anzorova, with 222 kilograms. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to
    designate Loredana the Athlete of the week.


    In Moscow, Loredana Toma was designated the European Championship’s best weightlifter. According to the
    Sinclair rankings compiled by the European Weightlifting Federation, Loredana
    Toma came at the top of the table, with 317.1 points. Loredana’s challenger in
    the 64-kilogram category, British weightlifter Sarah Davies, was the runner-up
    competitor, with 299.4 points. Ukraine’s Kamila Konotop, in the 55-kilogram
    category, was 3rd-placed, with 298 points. Another Romanian, four-time
    European champion in the 49-kilogram category, Monica Csengeri, came in fourth,
    with 295.8 points.


    Loredana Toma was born on
    May 10, 1995, in the northern Romanian town of Botoşani. Loredana is a
    many-time winner of European U-21 and youth championships. In the senior’s
    version of European competitions, in 2013 and 2014, Loredana Toma walked away
    with silver in the 58-kilogram category. Over 2014 and 2016 Loredana was banned
    from competition since she tested positive for Stanozolol. Loredana Toma has
    been dominating the 63-kilogram category, the snatch as well as the clean and
    jerk style competitions, since the European championships held in Croatia in
    April 2017. In December 2017 at the World championships in Anaheim, the USA,
    Loredana Toma reconfirmed her status since she walked home with three other
    gold medals. At the European championships in Bucharest in 2018, Loredana Toma won
    a string of medals. In 2019, at the European championships in Batumi, Loredana was a three-time
    gold medalist. At the world championships in Thailand, also in 2019, Loredana
    won two bronze medals in the 64-kilogram category, in the clean and jerk style
    and overall.

  • Olympic Perspectives

    Olympic Perspectives

    World and European weightlifting champion
    Loredana Toma in an interview to Romanian news agency AGERPRES said she got used
    to observing the lockdown at home, against the backdrop of the COVID-19
    pandemic. However, Loredana went on to specify that she literally broke the
    floor of her gym hall at home with her barbells, after two days of training.
    With the consent of the property managers of the block of flats she lives in, Loredana
    Toma had a gym hall placed in a ground-floor room of her block of flats, since
    it was not possible for her to continue training in her fourth-floor flat.

    A world champion in
    2017, Loredana Toma has a daily four-hour training session. However, it’s
    recovery she misses most while at home, but Loredana has sea-salt baths
    instead. Loredana Toma competes in the 64-kilogram category and says that these
    days, motivation is the main problem. However, she hopes for the European Championships
    to be held this year, now that the event has been delayed for June 12-21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 24-year old athlete has a dream; still being
    in top shape, Loredana would have really liked the Olympics Games to be held this
    very year, even on empty premises. They were postponed for 2021, but Loredana says
    she still has a real chance to win a medal.

    Loredana Toma was
    born on May 10, 1995, in the northern Romanian town of Botosani. She won several
    gold medals in juniors and seniors European Championships. In the seniors’ event,
    in 2013 and 2014, Loredana walked away with silver in the 58-kilogram category.
    She was banned from competition after testing positive for Stanozolol, between
    2015 and 2016. Since the European championships held in Croatia in April 2017,
    Loredana Toma has been dominating the 63-kilogram category, in the snatch as
    well as in the clean-and- jerk style. In December 2017 she confirmed her supremacy
    at the World Championships in Anaheim, the USA, where she won three more gold
    medals. At the European Championships in Bucharest, in 2018, Loredana Toma yet
    again had a win-all record. She won three other gold medals at the 2019 edition
    of the European Championships held in Batumi. At the 2020 edition of the World
    Championships in Thailand, Loredana walked away with two bronze medals in the
    64-kilogram category, in the clean and jerk style and overall.

    (Translation by Eugen Nasta)



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  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Weightlifter Monica Csengeri

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Weightlifter Monica Csengeri

    After the first two days, Romania grabbed 8 medals at the European Weightlifting Championships, hosted by Split, Croatia. On Sunday, our athletes won seven medals. Monica Csengeri grabbed three of them, all in the 48-kg category. She won gold in the snatch event, and silver medals in the clean and jerk and combined total events. Also in the 48-kg category, Elena Andries won bronze medals in the snatch and combined total events. Another two bronze medals were won by Ilie Ciotoiu, in the 56-kg category, in the clean and jerk and combined total events. On Monday, Madalina Molie won bronze in the total event in the 58-kg category.



    For her remarkable achievement, we have designated Monica Csengeri Athlete of the Week on RRI.



    Monica Csengeri was born on March 21, 1996 in Bistrita into an underprivileged family. Her coach, Adrian Chivu, told a local newspaper that as a kid, Monica used to beg for money on the streets of Bistrita. She found new meaning in sports, and at the age of 15 she already broke several national records and won the title in the snatch event in the world under-17 championships held in Kosice, Slovakia. At the 2015 European Championships in Tbilisi, Csengeri won bronze in the clean and jerk event. One year later, at the European Championships in Norway, she won gold in the snatch event and bronze in the combined total competition. Whereas in 2016 her main competitor was Sibel Ozkan of Turkey, a former Olympic medalist, this year Monica competed against Anais Michel of France for the gold medal. Aged 29, the French weightlifter this year grabbed her first medals in a major competition. (Translated by V. Palcu)