Radio România Internațional

Tag: swimming

Sports weekend

Romanian swimmer David Popovici has received a
nomination for the best young European athlete in 2021 title, the so-called Piotr
Nurowski award. The nomination was made by the Association for the European Olympic
Committees. The voting and the awarding ceremony will take place during the
Association’s seminar, to be hosted by the town of Samorin in Slovakia, between
November 25 and 26. Four other athletes have received nominations for the
title, apart from Popovici. They are Tokyo Olympics skateboarding bronze
medalist Sky Brown of Great Britain, Adriana Cerezo Iglesias of Spain, a taekwondo
silver medallist, also in Tokyo, the European all-around event champion and gold
medallist in the nations’ competition, Russian gymnast Victoria Listunova, as
well as Serbian athlete Adriana Vilagoš, a javelin throw gold medallist in the World
Youth Championships in Nairobi.

In a test-match on Saturday, Romania’s national rugby
squad face Tonga. 30 rugby players have been summoned ahead of the match. Most
of them play in the domestic championship. The extended pool of regulars does not
include members of defending champion team Stiinta Baia Mare, who are on a tournament
in South Africa. Also, almost all Romania rugby players signed up by French
teams have returned to their clubs in France. Romania is 16th-placed
according to the as it stands table at world level, while Tonga is 15th-placed.

In the Champions League in women’s handball, CSM Bucharest
play a home match against Hungary’s Ferencvaros Budapest on Saturday. In the first
leg played last week the Hungarians grabbed a 31-30 win, when a last-second
goal sealed the fate of a match. CSM are 6th-placed in Group A.
Group A’ s only team with a clean sheet, Ferencvaros are at the top of the
table.

Matches counting towards domestic League One
championship’s 16th round are scheduled at the weekend. It is the
first round of the regular season’s return-leg series. On Friday, Academica Clinceni
go against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, while Chindia Târgoviște face Rapid
București. On Saturday, in Ovidiu, in the south-east, Farul Constanța are
pitted against UTA Arad, while FC U Craiova play a home game against CFR Cluj. On
Sunday, FC Argeș play a home game in Pitești, against Universitatea Craiova.
Also on Sunday, on the National Arena in Bucharest, FCSB receive the visit of
FC Botosani. In 16th round’s last two games on Monday, CS Mioveni
play Gaz Metan Medias, while FC Voluntari take on Dinamo Bucharest. CFR Cluj
are at the top of the table, with 39 points, followed by FCSB, with 31.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

19 November 2021
Athlete of the Week

This past weekend, the
Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the gold in the 200m freestyle final of the
European Short Course Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia. Popovici came
first with 1:42:12. At the age of only 17, he thus won his first continental
senior title, while also setting a new national record. Second and third came 2
Dutch swimmers, Luc Kroon and Stan Pijnenburg.

Popovici’s gold was
the 3rd medal for Romania in this short course championship, after
the silver and bronze won by Robert Glinţă in the 100m and 50m backstroke finals.
I’m glad I could attend this European competition. We’ve been quite united and
had a lot of fun. And I’m also happy to have written history for Romanian
swimming, said Popovici upon his return to Romania. He is the first Romanian,
in fact, to have won a European short course championship.

For his outstanding
performance, Radio Romania International has designated David Popovici the
Athlete of the Week.

David Popovici was
born on 15 September 2004, in Bucharest, and has specialised in freestyle races,
having set the juniors’ world records for 100m and 200m freestyle. Also in the
junior category, he is the European champion in the 50m, 100m and 200m
freestyle events. In the same European Championship edition, held in Rome, he
won the silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay with his Romanian teammates.

His best performance
was his qualification in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where at 16 years of age, he
came up 4th in the 200m freestyle final. I think in Tokyo I learned
to better control my emotions, to focus on my lane and do what I do best,
young Popovici also said upon his return from Kazan. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

9 November 2021
Athlete of the Week

This past weekend, the
Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the gold in the 200m freestyle final of the
European Short Course Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia. Popovici came
first with 1:42:12. At the age of only 17, he thus won his first continental
senior title, while also setting a new national record. Second and third came 2
Dutch swimmers, Luc Kroon and Stan Pijnenburg.

Popovici’s gold was
the 3rd medal for Romania in this short course championship, after
the silver and bronze won by Robert Glinţă in the 100m and 50m backstroke finals.
I’m glad I could attend this European competition. We’ve been quite united and
had a lot of fun. And I’m also happy to have written history for Romanian
swimming, said Popovici upon his return to Romania. He is the first Romanian,
in fact, to have won a European short course championship.

For his outstanding
performance, Radio Romania International has designated David Popovici the
Athlete of the Week.

David Popovici was
born on 15 September 2004, in Bucharest, and has specialised in freestyle races,
having set the juniors’ world records for 100m and 200m freestyle. Also in the
junior category, he is the European champion in the 50m, 100m and 200m
freestyle events. In the same European Championship edition, held in Rome, he
won the silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay with his Romanian teammates.

His best performance
was his qualification in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where at 16 years of age, he
came up 4th in the 200m freestyle final. I think in Tokyo I learned
to better control my emotions, to focus on my lane and do what I do best,
young Popovici also said upon his return from Kazan. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

9 November 2021
Sports roundup

We’re only
a couple of days away from the kick-start of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Romania has sent a 101-strong delegation to the upcoming edition of the
Olympics. In 17 sports disciplines, 46 athletes will be competing in the women’s
version of the games, and 55 in the men’s version. Our athletes are set to
prove their mettle in swimming, athletics, rowing, football, artistic
gymnastics, 3-on-3 women’s basketball, cycling, wrestling, shooting sports,
canoeing, table tennis, boxing, judo, archery and lawn tennis.

Also included
in the delegation are 9 substitute athletes and 40 head-coaches. Footballers at
the first ones to enter the competition, one day before the Olympics’ opening
ceremony. On July 22, our national team goes against Honduras.

The
European officials have made public the fact that in a written message
dispatched to the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas
Bach, they demanded that the European Union flag should accompany the Slovenian
delegation at the opening ceremony held in Tokyo on Friday. Signing the letter
were the European Commission’s Vice-president, Margaritis Schinas, and
Slovenian prime Minister Janez Jansa. We recall that Slovenia has taken over
the Union’s rotating presidency as of July the 1st this year.

Horia
Tecău and Kevin Krawietz were defeated in the men’s doubles final in the
Hamburg tennis tournament, an event with 1, 030, 900 Euro in prize money all told.
The pair made of Germany’s Tim Puetz and Michael Venus of New Zealand secured a
6-3, 6-7, 10-8 win against the Romanian-German pair. It was for the fourth time
when Tecău and Krawietz teamed up for a final fixture, and their second match
on a clay court. Tecau and Krawietz won their only title together in June this
year, in Halle, on a grass court. Tecau and Krawietz played the final of the
Rotterdam tournament on a hard court. They played another final in Barcelona,
on a clay court.

A new
edition of the Romanian League One domestic football championship kick-started
late last week. On Thursday, FC Botosani held FCSB to a blank draw. On Friday,
Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe grabbed a 2-nil home win against Academica Clinceni. Also
on Friday, holders CFR Cluj secured a 3-2 win against FC U Craiova. On
Saturday, Gaz Metan Medias won the game they played against CS Mioveni, 1-nil,
while Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 1-nil home win against FC Arges.

On
Sunday, UTA Arad ended in a blank draw the home fixture against Farul
Constanta. In a match hosted by the National Arena in Bucharest, Rapid defeated
Chindia Targoviste, 1-nil.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

19 July 2021
Sports roundup

We’re only
a couple of days away from the kick-start of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Romania has sent a 101-strong delegation to the upcoming edition of the
Olympics. In 17 sports disciplines, 46 athletes will be competing in the women’s
version of the games, and 55 in the men’s version. Our athletes are set to
prove their mettle in swimming, athletics, rowing, football, artistic
gymnastics, 3-on-3 women’s basketball, cycling, wrestling, shooting sports,
canoeing, table tennis, boxing, judo, archery and lawn tennis.

Also included
in the delegation are 9 substitute athletes and 40 head-coaches. Footballers at
the first ones to enter the competition, one day before the Olympics’ opening
ceremony. On July 22, our national team goes against Honduras.

The
European officials have made public the fact that in a written message
dispatched to the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas
Bach, they demanded that the European Union flag should accompany the Slovenian
delegation at the opening ceremony held in Tokyo on Friday. Signing the letter
were the European Commission’s Vice-president, Margaritis Schinas, and
Slovenian prime Minister Janez Jansa. We recall that Slovenia has taken over
the Union’s rotating presidency as of July the 1st this year.

Horia
Tecău and Kevin Krawietz were defeated in the men’s doubles final in the
Hamburg tennis tournament, an event with 1, 030, 900 Euro in prize money all told.
The pair made of Germany’s Tim Puetz and Michael Venus of New Zealand secured a
6-3, 6-7, 10-8 win against the Romanian-German pair. It was for the fourth time
when Tecău and Krawietz teamed up for a final fixture, and their second match
on a clay court. Tecau and Krawietz won their only title together in June this
year, in Halle, on a grass court. Tecau and Krawietz played the final of the
Rotterdam tournament on a hard court. They played another final in Barcelona,
on a clay court.

A new
edition of the Romanian League One domestic football championship kick-started
late last week. On Thursday, FC Botosani held FCSB to a blank draw. On Friday,
Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe grabbed a 2-nil home win against Academica Clinceni. Also
on Friday, holders CFR Cluj secured a 3-2 win against FC U Craiova. On
Saturday, Gaz Metan Medias won the game they played against CS Mioveni, 1-nil,
while Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 1-nil home win against FC Arges.

On
Sunday, UTA Arad ended in a blank draw the home fixture against Farul
Constanta. In a match hosted by the National Arena in Bucharest, Rapid defeated
Chindia Targoviste, 1-nil.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

19 July 2021
Sports Roundup

On Sunday in Rome, the European Junior Swimming Championships came to a close. The Romanian team came home with 3 gold medals and a silver one. All the 3 European champion titles went to16-year old David Popovici, who won the 50, 100 and 200 m freestyle races, setting new junior world records in the latter 2 events. The silver medal went to the mens freestyle relay team, which apart from Popovici also included Mihai Gergely, Ştefan Cozma and Patrick Dinu.

The Romanian tennis player Elena Gabriela Ruse won her first WTA trophy this Sunday. She won the Hamburg tournament after defeating the German Andrea Petkovic, 7-6, 6-4 in the final. Ruse, number 198 in the world prior to this tournament, defeated among others seed no. 1 Daiana Iastremska of Ukraine. The Romanian won 299 WTA points, going up to 133 in the world ranking.

In the second leg of the Champions League qualifying first round, Romanian football champions CFR Cluj are playing this Tuesday away from home against the Bosnian team Borac Banja Luka. CFR won 3 – 1 the first leg, played last week on home turf. Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Cluj side missed the chance to win Romanias Super Cup, as they lost to Universitatea Craiova after penalty kicks.

On Thursday, 15 July, Romanias football League One kicks off with a game between FC Botoşani and FCSB. On Friday, Academica Clinceni take on Sfântu Gheorghe away from home, while CFR Cluj play at home against FC “U Craiova. On Saturday, CS Mioveni take on Gaz Metan Mediaş, and Universitatea Craiova face FC Argeş on home turf. On Sunday, UTA Arad play at home against Farul Constanţa, while Rapid Bucureşti are pitted against Chindia Târgovişte. The leg concludes on Monday, 19 July, with Dinamo Bucharest vs. FC Voluntari. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

12 July 2021
Sports Roundup

On Sunday in Rome, the European Junior Swimming Championships came to a close. The Romanian team came home with 3 gold medals and a silver one. All the 3 European champion titles went to16-year old David Popovici, who won the 50, 100 and 200 m freestyle races, setting new junior world records in the latter 2 events. The silver medal went to the mens freestyle relay team, which apart from Popovici also included Mihai Gergely, Ştefan Cozma and Patrick Dinu.

The Romanian tennis player Elena Gabriela Ruse won her first WTA trophy this Sunday. She won the Hamburg tournament after defeating the German Andrea Petkovic, 7-6, 6-4 in the final. Ruse, number 198 in the world prior to this tournament, defeated among others seed no. 1 Daiana Iastremska of Ukraine. The Romanian won 299 WTA points, going up to 133 in the world ranking.

In the second leg of the Champions League qualifying first round, Romanian football champions CFR Cluj are playing this Tuesday away from home against the Bosnian team Borac Banja Luka. CFR won 3 – 1 the first leg, played last week on home turf. Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Cluj side missed the chance to win Romanias Super Cup, as they lost to Universitatea Craiova after penalty kicks.

On Thursday, 15 July, Romanias football League One kicks off with a game between FC Botoşani and FCSB. On Friday, Academica Clinceni take on Sfântu Gheorghe away from home, while CFR Cluj play at home against FC “U Craiova. On Saturday, CS Mioveni take on Gaz Metan Mediaş, and Universitatea Craiova face FC Argeş on home turf. On Sunday, UTA Arad play at home against Farul Constanţa, while Rapid Bucureşti are pitted against Chindia Târgovişte. The leg concludes on Monday, 19 July, with Dinamo Bucharest vs. FC Voluntari. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

12 July 2021
Sports weekend

Romanian swimmer Robert Glinţă on Thursday won the gold
medal in the 100m backstroke event as part of the ongoing European Swimming
Championships in Budapest. Glinta set a new national record since he clocked 52
secs and 88 hundredths, We recall Glinta had also set the previous national
record, with 53 secs and 32 hundredths. The latter record was set by Glinta on
May 27, 2018. Robert Glinta has already secured his participation in the Tokyo Olympics
for the 100m backstroke event. Robert won his second medal in the European
competition held in Hungary, having walked away with silver in the 50m event. The
fact that Glinta walked home with gold in a seniors’ European swimming
championship, in the men’s version of the competition, is an absolute first for
Romania. Also, Glinta’s gold medal comes after a 17-year gap in Romania’s
swimming record. We recall that in Madrid, in 2004, Camelia Potec won gold in
the 200m freestyle event.

Robert Glinţă was born on April 18, 1997, in Piteşti. Robert
took up sports at a very early age. He first tried karate, then he took up
swimming. Glinta broke dozens of national records, in the children and junior
categories, but also in the seniors’ version of competitions nationwide. Robert
Glinta was the only Romanian swimmer to have reached as far as the finals at
the 2016 edition of the Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro. Robert’s best result
back then was the 8th place in the 100m backstroke event.

In news from football, this past Thursday, Academica
Clinceni grabbed a 2-1 home win against Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe. This was the last
fixture counting towards Group 1’s 9th round as part of League One
championship. One round before the end of the championship, Sepsi Sfantu
Gheorghe are 4th placed in the rankings, being 3 points behind the 3rd-placed
team, Universitatea Craiova. The team that in the final is 3rd-placed
will have a playoff fixture to gain access to the European Conference League.
The team will face the winner of the match pitting Chindia Târgovişte against Viitorul
Constanţa, two teams coming from the domestic championship’s Group 2. However,
Universitatea Craiova can have a faster access to European competitions. This
coming Saturday in the southern Romanian of Ploiesti, Universitatea Craiova
take on Astra Giurgiu, in Romanian Cup final. Should Universitatea Craiova win,
they will book their ticket for the Conference League, while Sepsi Sfantu
Gheorghe are sent into playoffs. For the first time since the
pandemic-generated restrictions have been put in place in our country, the Romanian
Cup final will be played with fans attending. As of this weekend, 25% of
sports arenas’ seating capacity is open to sports fans. Access is allowed to vaccinated
persons and to those who tested negative for coronavirus.

21 May 2021
Sports weekend

Romanian swimmer Robert Glinţă on Thursday won the gold
medal in the 100m backstroke event as part of the ongoing European Swimming
Championships in Budapest. Glinta set a new national record since he clocked 52
secs and 88 hundredths, We recall Glinta had also set the previous national
record, with 53 secs and 32 hundredths. The latter record was set by Glinta on
May 27, 2018. Robert Glinta has already secured his participation in the Tokyo Olympics
for the 100m backstroke event. Robert won his second medal in the European
competition held in Hungary, having walked away with silver in the 50m event. The
fact that Glinta walked home with gold in a seniors’ European swimming
championship, in the men’s version of the competition, is an absolute first for
Romania. Also, Glinta’s gold medal comes after a 17-year gap in Romania’s
swimming record. We recall that in Madrid, in 2004, Camelia Potec won gold in
the 200m freestyle event.

Robert Glinţă was born on April 18, 1997, in Piteşti. Robert
took up sports at a very early age. He first tried karate, then he took up
swimming. Glinta broke dozens of national records, in the children and junior
categories, but also in the seniors’ version of competitions nationwide. Robert
Glinta was the only Romanian swimmer to have reached as far as the finals at
the 2016 edition of the Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro. Robert’s best result
back then was the 8th place in the 100m backstroke event.

In news from football, this past Thursday, Academica
Clinceni grabbed a 2-1 home win against Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe. This was the last
fixture counting towards Group 1’s 9th round as part of League One
championship. One round before the end of the championship, Sepsi Sfantu
Gheorghe are 4th placed in the rankings, being 3 points behind the 3rd-placed
team, Universitatea Craiova. The team that in the final is 3rd-placed
will have a playoff fixture to gain access to the European Conference League.
The team will face the winner of the match pitting Chindia Târgovişte against Viitorul
Constanţa, two teams coming from the domestic championship’s Group 2. However,
Universitatea Craiova can have a faster access to European competitions. This
coming Saturday in the southern Romanian of Ploiesti, Universitatea Craiova
take on Astra Giurgiu, in Romanian Cup final. Should Universitatea Craiova win,
they will book their ticket for the Conference League, while Sepsi Sfantu
Gheorghe are sent into playoffs. For the first time since the
pandemic-generated restrictions have been put in place in our country, the Romanian
Cup final will be played with fans attending. As of this weekend, 25% of
sports arenas’ seating capacity is open to sports fans. Access is allowed to vaccinated
persons and to those who tested negative for coronavirus.

21 May 2021
The Athlete of the week: Swimmer Robert Glinţǎ

Last week brought a new medal to Romanian swimming. Robert Glinţǎ won the bronze medal at the European Short Course Swimming Championships hosted by Glasgow, the UK. For his performance, Radio Romania International has designated Robert Glinţǎ the Athlete of the Week.

Robert Glinţǎ came on 3rd place, on Friday, in the Men 100m Backstroke Heat. He had got into the semifinals with an exceptional time: 50 seconds and 13 hundredths. In the final, he obtained a poorer time by 17 hundredths, but that was enough to bring him the bronze medal. First came the Russian Kliment Kolesnikov with 49 seconds and 9 hundredths and second came the German Christian Diener, with 49 seconds and 94 hundredths. On Sunday in the 50m backstroke heat final, Glinţǎ was only 12 hundredths of a second away from a new medal, being outrun by the Irish Shane Ryan. The first and second places were also taken by Kolesnikov and Diener.

For Robert Glinţǎ the bronze medal obtained in Glasgow is the 3rd one that he obtained in a continental competition. His record also includes a bronze medal at the 2017 European Short Course Championships in Copenhagen, also in the 100m backstroke heat and a silver medal at the 2018 European Championships also hosted by Glasgow in the 50m backstroke heat.

Robert Glinţǎ was born on April 18, 1997 in Pitesti. He started practicing various sports as a child. He began with karate and then he took up swimming. He has broken tens of national records both in the children, under – 21 and senior competitions. He was the only Romanian swimmer who reached the finals of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, when his best result was the 8th place in the 100m backstroke heat, with 53 seconds and 50 hundredths.

You have been listening to the Athlete of the Week. You can find this sports item on RRI’s website and Facebook profile.

10 December 2019
Sports roundup

The Romanian swimmer Robert Andrei
Glinta finished fourth in the 50 m backstroke race on Sunday, on the final day
of the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Glasgow. He was only 12-hundredths of a
second away from his second medal at these championships, having already
won a bronze medal on Friday in the 100 m backstroke. Glinta’s medal tally also
features a bronze in
the 100 m backstroke race at the 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Copenhagen,
and a silver medal in the 50 m backstroke race in the 2018 European Aquatics
Championships hosted by Glasgow.

We continue with news from handball.
Romania no longer have a chance of winning a medal at the Women’s World Championships
under way in Japan. On Sunday, they were defeated by Russia 27:18 in a match as
part of the Main Round Group II. Romania again collapsed in the final 15
minutes of play, just as in their earlier group match against Montenegro.
Romania will next face Sweden on Tuesday. Russia top Group II with 6 points,
followed by Spain with 5, Montenegro with 4 and Sweden with 3 points. Romania
and Japan are bottom of the ranking with no points.

We end this roundup with news from
football. The Romanian First League has a new leader in the ranking. Astra
Giurgiu moved into the first position after defeating Universitatea Craiova
1-nil on Sunday at home. The former leader CFR Cluj earlier lost in Botosani
1-2. In other fixtures, FCSM defeated Gaz Metan Medias 2-nil on Friday on the
National Arena stadium in Bucharest; Chindia Targoviste defeated Poli Iasi 2-1
on Saturday in Ploiesti; and FC Hermannstadt won 4-2 against Dinamo Bucharest
at home, also on Saturday. In the final leg matches on Monday, Sepsi
Sfantu Gheorghe are facing Academica Clinceni and FC Voluntari are playing
Viitorul Constanta. Astra
Giurgiu top the ranking with 40 points, followed by CFR Cluj, who are 2 points
behind them.

9 December 2019
Sports roundup

The Romanian swimmer Robert Andrei
Glinta finished fourth in the 50 m backstroke race on Sunday, on the final day
of the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Glasgow. He was only 12-hundredths of a
second away from his second medal at these championships, having already
won a bronze medal on Friday in the 100 m backstroke. Glinta’s medal tally also
features a bronze in
the 100 m backstroke race at the 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Copenhagen,
and a silver medal in the 50 m backstroke race in the 2018 European Aquatics
Championships hosted by Glasgow.

We continue with news from handball.
Romania no longer have a chance of winning a medal at the Women’s World Championships
under way in Japan. On Sunday, they were defeated by Russia 27:18 in a match as
part of the Main Round Group II. Romania again collapsed in the final 15
minutes of play, just as in their earlier group match against Montenegro.
Romania will next face Sweden on Tuesday. Russia top Group II with 6 points,
followed by Spain with 5, Montenegro with 4 and Sweden with 3 points. Romania
and Japan are bottom of the ranking with no points.

We end this roundup with news from
football. The Romanian First League has a new leader in the ranking. Astra
Giurgiu moved into the first position after defeating Universitatea Craiova
1-nil on Sunday at home. The former leader CFR Cluj earlier lost in Botosani
1-2. In other fixtures, FCSM defeated Gaz Metan Medias 2-nil on Friday on the
National Arena stadium in Bucharest; Chindia Targoviste defeated Poli Iasi 2-1
on Saturday in Ploiesti; and FC Hermannstadt won 4-2 against Dinamo Bucharest
at home, also on Saturday. In the final leg matches on Monday, Sepsi
Sfantu Gheorghe are facing Academica Clinceni and FC Voluntari are playing
Viitorul Constanta. Astra
Giurgiu top the ranking with 40 points, followed by CFR Cluj, who are 2 points
behind them.

9 December 2019