Radio România Internațional

Tag: title

Athlete of the week

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

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

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

(EN)

28 June 2022
Sports weekend

Men’s basketball team U-BT Cluj-Napoca on Thursday won
their 4th consecutive domestic title. In the National League final, U-BT Cluj-Napoca
grabbed an 85-74 away win against CSO Voluntari, in the fourth fixture pitting
U-BT against the Ilfov-based squad. U-BT won on aggregate, 3-1.
In the debut game they played at home, U-BT won, 87-65. CSO Voluntari won the
second fixture, 74-69. Then U-BT Cluj-Napoca won both games they played in Voluntari,
92-84 and 85-74, respectively. We recall U-BT Cluj-Napoca were also title
holders in 2011, 2017 and 2021.

Romania’s men’s national volleyball team this coming Saturday
plays an away game against Bosnia Herzegovina, in Tuzla. It is the fourth
fixture as part of the Silver League European Competition’s Group B. The Romanians
had previously outclassed Albania in Tirana, 3-1. In Galati, in the east, the Romanian
national team defeated North Macedonia, 3-2. Romania grabbed yet another win
against Bosnia-Herzegovina, 3-nil. In Group B, Romania is at the top of the
table, with 8 points.

The Romanian men’s national football team this coming
Sunday makes its debut in a new edition of the Nations League. In Podgorica, Romania
takes on Montenegro. The fixture counts towards the 3rd Group as
part of the Nations League’s second-tier League B. It is head-coach Edward
Iordănescu’s debut game on the job. A 30-strong pool of regulars has been
summoned, of which 5 footballers are first-timers in a national-level match. Defender
Vlad Chiriches, currently signed up by the Italian team Sassuolo, boasts most caps
for the national squad, 71. The Romanian international footballer Alexandru
Maxim, currently playing for Gaziantep, in Turkey, follows suit, with 52 caps.
This coming Tuesday Romania plays Bosnia-Herzegovina, also away from home, in
Zenica. The Romanian national squad’s next scheduled fixtures are the games
against Finland, on June 11 and against Montenegro, on June 14. Both matches are
to be played at home.

Romanian runner Claudia Bobocea on Sunday will compete
in the 1,500m race, in an athletics competition as part of the Diamond League
circuit, to be hosted by the Moroccan capital Rabat.

(EN)

3 June 2022
Sports weekend

Men’s basketball team U-BT Cluj-Napoca on Thursday won
their 4th consecutive domestic title. In the National League final, U-BT Cluj-Napoca
grabbed an 85-74 away win against CSO Voluntari, in the fourth fixture pitting
U-BT against the Ilfov-based squad. U-BT won on aggregate, 3-1.
In the debut game they played at home, U-BT won, 87-65. CSO Voluntari won the
second fixture, 74-69. Then U-BT Cluj-Napoca won both games they played in Voluntari,
92-84 and 85-74, respectively. We recall U-BT Cluj-Napoca were also title
holders in 2011, 2017 and 2021.

Romania’s men’s national volleyball team this coming Saturday
plays an away game against Bosnia Herzegovina, in Tuzla. It is the fourth
fixture as part of the Silver League European Competition’s Group B. The Romanians
had previously outclassed Albania in Tirana, 3-1. In Galati, in the east, the Romanian
national team defeated North Macedonia, 3-2. Romania grabbed yet another win
against Bosnia-Herzegovina, 3-nil. In Group B, Romania is at the top of the
table, with 8 points.

The Romanian men’s national football team this coming
Sunday makes its debut in a new edition of the Nations League. In Podgorica, Romania
takes on Montenegro. The fixture counts towards the 3rd Group as
part of the Nations League’s second-tier League B. It is head-coach Edward
Iordănescu’s debut game on the job. A 30-strong pool of regulars has been
summoned, of which 5 footballers are first-timers in a national-level match. Defender
Vlad Chiriches, currently signed up by the Italian team Sassuolo, boasts most caps
for the national squad, 71. The Romanian international footballer Alexandru
Maxim, currently playing for Gaziantep, in Turkey, follows suit, with 52 caps.
This coming Tuesday Romania plays Bosnia-Herzegovina, also away from home, in
Zenica. The Romanian national squad’s next scheduled fixtures are the games
against Finland, on June 11 and against Montenegro, on June 14. Both matches are
to be played at home.

Romanian runner Claudia Bobocea on Sunday will compete
in the 1,500m race, in an athletics competition as part of the Diamond League
circuit, to be hosted by the Moroccan capital Rabat.

(EN)

3 June 2022
Sports roundup

The Romanian rower Cătălin Chirilă has walked away with two medals in the recently-held World-Cup-level rowing competition in Racice, the Czech Republic. This past Saturday, Chirila won bronze in the men’s canoe single 500m final, while on Sunday, Cătălin Chirilă won silver in the men’s canoe single 1,000 final. Romania’s representative in the women’s canoe single events for the same races, Mălina Trifescu, failed to qualify for the 500m and 1,000m races finals.

The Romanian delegation will then travel to Poland’s Poznan, where yet another World-Cup-level competition will be held this coming weekend. In Poznan, Catalin Chirila will prove his mettle in the 500m, 1,000m and 5,000m races, while Malina Trifescu will compete in the 200m and 500m races.

This past Saturday in Stavanger, Norway, in the first leg counting towards the EHF European Cup in men’s handball, Minaur Baia Mare sustained a 25-29 defeat by Nærbø. The return leg of the final tie will be played in Baia Mare this coming Saturday.

With a 6-3, 6-3 straight-set win against Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the second round as part of the ongoing Roland Garros tennis tournament, this past Sunday Sorana Cirstea advanced to the second round. 26th- seeded Cirstea will face US opponent Sloane Stephens. Also in the first round, Gabriela Ruse sustained a 3-6, 1-6 defeat by 31st-seeded tennis player in Roland Garros, Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

In shooting sports, this past Sunday the Romanian Laura Ilie came in 2nd in the 10m air rifle event as part of the shooting sports Grand Prix final held in Granada, Spain. Laura Ilie’s most recent feat has earned the Romanian the 2nd place according to the event’s world rankings. Laura continues to amass points that will earn her the qualification to the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris. Next week Laura Ilie will compete in the Grand Prix contest in Baku, Azerbaijan.

This past Saturday, first-leg fixtures were played, decisive for the teams’ promotion or staying in Romanian League One in football. In Chiajna, second-tier squad Concordia defeated Chindia Targoviste, 2-1. Then in Cluj, the local side Universitatea, also a second-tier team, defeated Dinamo Bucharest, 2-nil. The return-leg matches are scheduled this coming Sunday, May 29th.

In the last round as part of Romanian League One’s Group 2, on Friday, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 4-1 home win against Farul Constanta. In Buzau on Saturday, FCSB defeated CFR Cluj, 3-1. CFR Cluj emerged as the new title holders as early as last week, for the fifth time running and for the eighth time in the club’s history.

(EN)

23 May 2022
Sports roundup

The Romanian rower Cătălin Chirilă has walked away with two medals in the recently-held World-Cup-level rowing competition in Racice, the Czech Republic. This past Saturday, Chirila won bronze in the men’s canoe single 500m final, while on Sunday, Cătălin Chirilă won silver in the men’s canoe single 1,000 final. Romania’s representative in the women’s canoe single events for the same races, Mălina Trifescu, failed to qualify for the 500m and 1,000m races finals.

The Romanian delegation will then travel to Poland’s Poznan, where yet another World-Cup-level competition will be held this coming weekend. In Poznan, Catalin Chirila will prove his mettle in the 500m, 1,000m and 5,000m races, while Malina Trifescu will compete in the 200m and 500m races.

This past Saturday in Stavanger, Norway, in the first leg counting towards the EHF European Cup in men’s handball, Minaur Baia Mare sustained a 25-29 defeat by Nærbø. The return leg of the final tie will be played in Baia Mare this coming Saturday.

With a 6-3, 6-3 straight-set win against Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the second round as part of the ongoing Roland Garros tennis tournament, this past Sunday Sorana Cirstea advanced to the second round. 26th- seeded Cirstea will face US opponent Sloane Stephens. Also in the first round, Gabriela Ruse sustained a 3-6, 1-6 defeat by 31st-seeded tennis player in Roland Garros, Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

In shooting sports, this past Sunday the Romanian Laura Ilie came in 2nd in the 10m air rifle event as part of the shooting sports Grand Prix final held in Granada, Spain. Laura Ilie’s most recent feat has earned the Romanian the 2nd place according to the event’s world rankings. Laura continues to amass points that will earn her the qualification to the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris. Next week Laura Ilie will compete in the Grand Prix contest in Baku, Azerbaijan.

This past Saturday, first-leg fixtures were played, decisive for the teams’ promotion or staying in Romanian League One in football. In Chiajna, second-tier squad Concordia defeated Chindia Targoviste, 2-1. Then in Cluj, the local side Universitatea, also a second-tier team, defeated Dinamo Bucharest, 2-nil. The return-leg matches are scheduled this coming Sunday, May 29th.

In the last round as part of Romanian League One’s Group 2, on Friday, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 4-1 home win against Farul Constanta. In Buzau on Saturday, FCSB defeated CFR Cluj, 3-1. CFR Cluj emerged as the new title holders as early as last week, for the fifth time running and for the eighth time in the club’s history.

(EN)

23 May 2022
Sports weekend

Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe are the winners of the title for the 2021-2022 edition of Romanian Cup in football. In the final they played In Bucharest on Thursday, Sepsi secured a 2-1 win against Fc Voluntari. Sepsis Marius Dstefanescu scored the two goals on 22 and 38 minutes. Scoring for FC Voluntari was Andres Dumitrescu, in extra time. Sepsis recent feat has secured the team from Sfantu Gheorghe the ticket for the second preliminary round as part of the Conference League.

Matches counting towards the last round as part of League Ones Group 2 in football are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Universitatea Craiova take on Farul Constanța. On Sunday in Buzău, FCSB face CFR Cluj, while on Monday, FC Argeș play a home game in Pitesti against FC Voluntari. For the fifth time running and for the eighth time in the clubs history, CFR are already champions. FCSB are the runner up team and will play straight into the second round of the Conference league qualifiers. Third-placed are Universitatea Craiova. If they want to secure a place in the Conference league preliminaries, Universitatea will have to take on 2nd-placed team in Group 1, FC Botosani.

According to the drawing of lots held in Paris on Thursday, Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, 19th-seeded in the grand Slam tournament of Roland Garros, in the first round goes against Croatias Ana Konjuh. 26th-seeded Sorana Cîrstea plays Tatjana Maria of Germany. Gabriela Ruse is in for a difficult confrontation against Belgiums Elise Mertens, 31st-seeded in Roland Garros. Irina Begu will face Italian opponent Jasmine Paolini, while Ana Bogdan takes on the 15th-seeded tennis player in Roland Garros, Victoria Azarenka.

This coming weekend, in the World Cup rowing competition held in the Czech city of Racice, Cătălin Chirilă and Mălina Trifescu are the only Romanian rowers taking part in the competitions. Chirica competes in the 500m and 1,000 single scull races. Malina Trifescu competes in the womens canoe single event, also in the 500m and 1,000m races. After Racice, the Romanian delegation travels to Polands Poznan, where another World Cup competition is held, next weekend. In Poznan, Chirila competes in the 500, 1,000 and 5,000m races, while Trifescu will compete in the 200 and 500m races.

(EN)

20 May 2022
Sports weekend

Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe are the winners of the title for the 2021-2022 edition of Romanian Cup in football. In the final they played In Bucharest on Thursday, Sepsi secured a 2-1 win against Fc Voluntari. Sepsis Marius Dstefanescu scored the two goals on 22 and 38 minutes. Scoring for FC Voluntari was Andres Dumitrescu, in extra time. Sepsis recent feat has secured the team from Sfantu Gheorghe the ticket for the second preliminary round as part of the Conference League.

Matches counting towards the last round as part of League Ones Group 2 in football are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Universitatea Craiova take on Farul Constanța. On Sunday in Buzău, FCSB face CFR Cluj, while on Monday, FC Argeș play a home game in Pitesti against FC Voluntari. For the fifth time running and for the eighth time in the clubs history, CFR are already champions. FCSB are the runner up team and will play straight into the second round of the Conference league qualifiers. Third-placed are Universitatea Craiova. If they want to secure a place in the Conference league preliminaries, Universitatea will have to take on 2nd-placed team in Group 1, FC Botosani.

According to the drawing of lots held in Paris on Thursday, Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, 19th-seeded in the grand Slam tournament of Roland Garros, in the first round goes against Croatias Ana Konjuh. 26th-seeded Sorana Cîrstea plays Tatjana Maria of Germany. Gabriela Ruse is in for a difficult confrontation against Belgiums Elise Mertens, 31st-seeded in Roland Garros. Irina Begu will face Italian opponent Jasmine Paolini, while Ana Bogdan takes on the 15th-seeded tennis player in Roland Garros, Victoria Azarenka.

This coming weekend, in the World Cup rowing competition held in the Czech city of Racice, Cătălin Chirilă and Mălina Trifescu are the only Romanian rowers taking part in the competitions. Chirica competes in the 500m and 1,000 single scull races. Malina Trifescu competes in the womens canoe single event, also in the 500m and 1,000m races. After Racice, the Romanian delegation travels to Polands Poznan, where another World Cup competition is held, next weekend. In Poznan, Chirila competes in the 500, 1,000 and 5,000m races, while Trifescu will compete in the 200 and 500m races.

(EN)

20 May 2022
Radio Romania International Sports Club

CFR Cluj football team have yet again emerged as Romania’s
title holders, One round ahead of the end of the ongoing football season, head-coach
Dan Petrescu’s trainees are four points clear of the main runner-up team, FCSB.
At this stage of the championship, no other team can outclass CFR Cluj. This
past Sunday, on the National Arena in Bucharest, FCSB were held to a 2-all draw
by FC Voluntari; the result was a real setback for FCSB. As for CFR Cluj, this
past Sunday they won their home game against Universitatea Craiova, 2-1. For
CFR Cluj, this is the eighth champion title in the club’s history and the fifth
consecutive title. CFR’s most recent feat has booked them the ticket for the Champions
League preliminaries. FCSB has in turn gained
access to Europe’s Conference League qualifiers. According to the Professional
Football League’s regulations, in their bid to gain access to the Conference League,
3rd placed team Universitatea Craiova play the winner of the match
pitting 1st against 2nd-placed team according to the
domestic championship’s Group 1. They are Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and FC Botoșani,
respectively. If, on Thursday, Sepsi win the Romanian Cup final against FC Voluntari,
they will play straight in Conference League. With no further formalities, Universitatea
Craiova travel to FC Botoșani. But until then, there is still a round to go in
Group 2. On Friday, Craiova play a home game against Farul Constanta. On
Sunday, FCSB play CFR Cluj, in Buzau. This coming Monday, in Pitesti, the local
team FC Arges play a home game against FC Voluntari.

Earlier this week the domestic championship’s Group 2
stage came to an end. League One’s 16th and 15th placed teams, Gaz
Metan Mediaș and Academica Clinceni, respectively, have been relegated to League
Two. Top-of-the-table and second-placed second-tier teams, Petrolul Ploiești and
FC Hermannstadt, respectively, have gained their access to League One’s next
season and on Wednesday they are to play a playoff fixture, decisive for them to
maintain their League One position. The team from Bucharest face League Two’s 3rd
placed team, Universitatea Cluj, while Chindia Targoviste take on 5th-placed team Concordia Chiajna. Chindia Targvoste should have played 4th-placed
team CSA Steaua, but the team from Bucharest, belonging to the Army, cannot officially
promote to League One as they do not have the professional status required by
the law.

(EN)

18 May 2022
Radio Romania International Sports Club

CFR Cluj football team have yet again emerged as Romania’s
title holders, One round ahead of the end of the ongoing football season, head-coach
Dan Petrescu’s trainees are four points clear of the main runner-up team, FCSB.
At this stage of the championship, no other team can outclass CFR Cluj. This
past Sunday, on the National Arena in Bucharest, FCSB were held to a 2-all draw
by FC Voluntari; the result was a real setback for FCSB. As for CFR Cluj, this
past Sunday they won their home game against Universitatea Craiova, 2-1. For
CFR Cluj, this is the eighth champion title in the club’s history and the fifth
consecutive title. CFR’s most recent feat has booked them the ticket for the Champions
League preliminaries. FCSB has in turn gained
access to Europe’s Conference League qualifiers. According to the Professional
Football League’s regulations, in their bid to gain access to the Conference League,
3rd placed team Universitatea Craiova play the winner of the match
pitting 1st against 2nd-placed team according to the
domestic championship’s Group 1. They are Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and FC Botoșani,
respectively. If, on Thursday, Sepsi win the Romanian Cup final against FC Voluntari,
they will play straight in Conference League. With no further formalities, Universitatea
Craiova travel to FC Botoșani. But until then, there is still a round to go in
Group 2. On Friday, Craiova play a home game against Farul Constanta. On
Sunday, FCSB play CFR Cluj, in Buzau. This coming Monday, in Pitesti, the local
team FC Arges play a home game against FC Voluntari.

Earlier this week the domestic championship’s Group 2
stage came to an end. League One’s 16th and 15th placed teams, Gaz
Metan Mediaș and Academica Clinceni, respectively, have been relegated to League
Two. Top-of-the-table and second-placed second-tier teams, Petrolul Ploiești and
FC Hermannstadt, respectively, have gained their access to League One’s next
season and on Wednesday they are to play a playoff fixture, decisive for them to
maintain their League One position. The team from Bucharest face League Two’s 3rd
placed team, Universitatea Cluj, while Chindia Targoviste take on 5th-placed team Concordia Chiajna. Chindia Targvoste should have played 4th-placed
team CSA Steaua, but the team from Bucharest, belonging to the Army, cannot officially
promote to League One as they do not have the professional status required by
the law.

(EN)

18 May 2022
Sports weekend

The first part of Romanian League One domestic championship’s Group 1 stage draws to a close this coming weekend, with matches counting towards the 5th round.

On Saturday, 4th-placed team FC Voluntari play a home game against 6th-placed team FC Arges. Also on Saturday, in Ovidiu, in the south-east, 5th-placed team Farul Constanţa go against 3rd-placed squad Universitatea Craiova. The latter team has had a most strenuous job in the last two rounds, grabbing hard-fought wins against the leader, CFR Cluj this past Sunday, and FCSB two weeks ago.

The 5th round’s toughest confrontation is the match pitting holders CFR Cluj against runner-up team FCSB. At the moment CFR Cluj are 5 points clear of FCSB. A win would secure an 8-point advantage for CFR; it would thus be hard for the other teams to come from behind and amass a similar number of points, since they are five rounds away from the end of the championship’s Group 1. CFR Cluj trail a recent 2-3 away defeat by Universitatea Craiova this past Sunday. On the National Arena in Bucharest, on Monday, FCSB trounced FC Voluntari, 4-nil, apparently a real morale-booster ahead of FCSB’s away fixture against CFR Cluj. However, head-to-heads has revealed that in CFR’s last ten fixtures against FCSB, only one win has been reported for the latter team. CFR won six fixtures, while three other matches ended in a draw. CFR’s most recent confrontation against FCSB on January 23rd also ended in a draw, 3-all..

Group 2 fixtures are also scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Chindia Târgovişte play FC Botoşani, while CS Mioveni face Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday in Sfântu Gheorghe, the local team Sepsi go against UTA Arad. On Sunday, FC U Craiova play a home game against Academica. In the fifth round’s last fixture on Monday, Rapid Bucharest are pitted against Gaz Metan Mediaş. With 32 points, Rapid Bucharest are at the top of the table, while Sepsi are the runner-up team, with 30. With a minus of 15 points, Gaz Metan Medias are at the bottom of the table and stand little, if any, chances to avoid direct relegation. So is Academica Clinceni, with 1 point on their record sheet. As of late, both teams have been repeatedly downgraded, because of unpaid debts. Three teams are trying hard to avoid being placed in the two positions that take them to the playoffs. They are Dinamo with 13 points, CS Mioveni and Chindia Târgovişte, with 22 points each.

(EN)

15 April 2022
Sports weekend

The first part of Romanian League One domestic championship’s Group 1 stage draws to a close this coming weekend, with matches counting towards the 5th round.

On Saturday, 4th-placed team FC Voluntari play a home game against 6th-placed team FC Arges. Also on Saturday, in Ovidiu, in the south-east, 5th-placed team Farul Constanţa go against 3rd-placed squad Universitatea Craiova. The latter team has had a most strenuous job in the last two rounds, grabbing hard-fought wins against the leader, CFR Cluj this past Sunday, and FCSB two weeks ago.

The 5th round’s toughest confrontation is the match pitting holders CFR Cluj against runner-up team FCSB. At the moment CFR Cluj are 5 points clear of FCSB. A win would secure an 8-point advantage for CFR; it would thus be hard for the other teams to come from behind and amass a similar number of points, since they are five rounds away from the end of the championship’s Group 1. CFR Cluj trail a recent 2-3 away defeat by Universitatea Craiova this past Sunday. On the National Arena in Bucharest, on Monday, FCSB trounced FC Voluntari, 4-nil, apparently a real morale-booster ahead of FCSB’s away fixture against CFR Cluj. However, head-to-heads has revealed that in CFR’s last ten fixtures against FCSB, only one win has been reported for the latter team. CFR won six fixtures, while three other matches ended in a draw. CFR’s most recent confrontation against FCSB on January 23rd also ended in a draw, 3-all..

Group 2 fixtures are also scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Chindia Târgovişte play FC Botoşani, while CS Mioveni face Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday in Sfântu Gheorghe, the local team Sepsi go against UTA Arad. On Sunday, FC U Craiova play a home game against Academica. In the fifth round’s last fixture on Monday, Rapid Bucharest are pitted against Gaz Metan Mediaş. With 32 points, Rapid Bucharest are at the top of the table, while Sepsi are the runner-up team, with 30. With a minus of 15 points, Gaz Metan Medias are at the bottom of the table and stand little, if any, chances to avoid direct relegation. So is Academica Clinceni, with 1 point on their record sheet. As of late, both teams have been repeatedly downgraded, because of unpaid debts. Three teams are trying hard to avoid being placed in the two positions that take them to the playoffs. They are Dinamo with 13 points, CS Mioveni and Chindia Târgovişte, with 22 points each.

(EN)

15 April 2022
The Athlete of the week

One of last week’s
headline-hitting events in women’s professional tennis was the WTA tennis tournament
in Linz, Austria, an event with 190,000 Euros up for grabs. US Open winner Emma Raducanu
was one of the seeded players in Linz, alongside former WTA leader Simona Halep.
Of the Romanian tennis players who competed in Linz, best-placed was Jaqueline Cristian,
who played her first women’s singles final in a WTA tournament, in Austria. Reason
enough for Radio Romania International to designate Jaqueline Cristian the Athlete
of the week.

In Linz,
Jaqueline Cristian played the qualifiers and in the last round she was
outclassed by Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. Cristian
was nonetheless included in the tournament’s main draw as a lucky loser. In the
first round, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russia’s Kamila Rahimova, 2-6, 6-2,
7-5. The Romanian went past the tournament’s round of 16 as Sweden opponent Rebeca
Peterson pulled out of the match when in the very first set, Cristian had a 5-2 lead.
In the quarterfinals, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russian opponent Veronika
Kudermetova, 6-3, 7-6. In the semi-finals, Cristian’s scheduled match against Simona
Halep was no longer played since the former WTA player pulled out of
competition because of an injury. In the final, Jaqueline Cristian was
dramatically defeated by Alison Riske of the USA, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, after two
hours and 24 minutes of play.

Jaqueline
Cristian was born on June 5, 1998, in Bucharest. She won 10 ITF women’s singles titles and a similar number of titles, 10, in the doubles version of the
tournaments she played in. In 2015, at BRD Bucharest Open, Jaqueline Cristian
made her debut in a WTF tournament, in the women’s doubles, pairing up with Elena
– Gabriela Ruse. It was also in Bucharest and also pairing up with Elena -
Gabriela Ruse that Jaqueline Cristian played her first women’s doubles final in
2019. Back then Cristian and Ruse were defeated by the Slovak-Czech pair made
of Viktória Kužmová and Kristýna Plíšková.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

16 November 2021
The Athlete of the week

One of last week’s
headline-hitting events in women’s professional tennis was the WTA tennis tournament
in Linz, Austria, an event with 190,000 Euros up for grabs. US Open winner Emma Raducanu
was one of the seeded players in Linz, alongside former WTA leader Simona Halep.
Of the Romanian tennis players who competed in Linz, best-placed was Jaqueline Cristian,
who played her first women’s singles final in a WTA tournament, in Austria. Reason
enough for Radio Romania International to designate Jaqueline Cristian the Athlete
of the week.

In Linz,
Jaqueline Cristian played the qualifiers and in the last round she was
outclassed by Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. Cristian
was nonetheless included in the tournament’s main draw as a lucky loser. In the
first round, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russia’s Kamila Rahimova, 2-6, 6-2,
7-5. The Romanian went past the tournament’s round of 16 as Sweden opponent Rebeca
Peterson pulled out of the match when in the very first set, Cristian had a 5-2 lead.
In the quarterfinals, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russian opponent Veronika
Kudermetova, 6-3, 7-6. In the semi-finals, Cristian’s scheduled match against Simona
Halep was no longer played since the former WTA player pulled out of
competition because of an injury. In the final, Jaqueline Cristian was
dramatically defeated by Alison Riske of the USA, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, after two
hours and 24 minutes of play.

Jaqueline
Cristian was born on June 5, 1998, in Bucharest. She won 10 ITF women’s singles titles and a similar number of titles, 10, in the doubles version of the
tournaments she played in. In 2015, at BRD Bucharest Open, Jaqueline Cristian
made her debut in a WTF tournament, in the women’s doubles, pairing up with Elena
– Gabriela Ruse. It was also in Bucharest and also pairing up with Elena -
Gabriela Ruse that Jaqueline Cristian played her first women’s doubles final in
2019. Back then Cristian and Ruse were defeated by the Slovak-Czech pair made
of Viktória Kužmová and Kristýna Plíšková.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

16 November 2021
Athlete of the week

The European table tennis championships
were held in Polish capital city Warsaw late last week. For the
event, the Romanian delegation was made of the best table tennis
players of the national lineups, among whom, European champions
Elizabeta Samara, Bernadette Szőcs and Daniela Dodean Monteiro.
Romanian delegation’s set objective was to test the athletes’ level
of training ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. We recall that securing
their participation to the Olympics in Japan was Romanian women’s
table tennis team made of three athletes. Bernadette competed in the
women’s singles and the mixed doubles, Elizabeta Samara, in the
women’s singles, while Ovidiu Ionescu participated in the men’s
singles and the mixed doubles.

The event in Warsaw was the litmus test for Romanian athletes’ real level of training and performance; the
Romanians still have a lot of things to improve, while their run at
the recently-held championships was a below-par one. The 2018
European vice-champion Ovidiu Ionescu was unable to go past the
quarterfinals. In the women’s version of the event, only four
Romanian table tennis players reached as far as the round of 32.
Adina Diaconu and Bernadette Szőcs were unable to push themselves
forward in the competition. Daniela Dodean made it to the the round
of 16 but she stopped right there. Elizabeta Samara played the semis,
but she was defeated by Germany’s Petrissa Solja, who went on to win
the European title. Eliza walked away with the bronze medal, which,
all things considered, was the Romanian delegation’s best result.
Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Elizabeta
Samara the Athlete of the week.

Elizabeta Samara was born on April 15,
1989, in Constanta. Her record, among other things, includes a string
of European titles she won in the women’s singles, women’s doubles or
mixed doubles events. Eliza also won the European title with the
national women’s team. Elizabeta Samara participated in three
editions of the Olympics, in Beijing, in 2008, in London, in 2012 and
in Rio, in 2016. Elizabeta is currently signed up by the Army’s
Steaua Bucharest Sports Club.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

29 June 2021
Athlete of the week

The European table tennis championships
were held in Polish capital city Warsaw late last week. For the
event, the Romanian delegation was made of the best table tennis
players of the national lineups, among whom, European champions
Elizabeta Samara, Bernadette Szőcs and Daniela Dodean Monteiro.
Romanian delegation’s set objective was to test the athletes’ level
of training ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. We recall that securing
their participation to the Olympics in Japan was Romanian women’s
table tennis team made of three athletes. Bernadette competed in the
women’s singles and the mixed doubles, Elizabeta Samara, in the
women’s singles, while Ovidiu Ionescu participated in the men’s
singles and the mixed doubles.

The event in Warsaw was the litmus test for Romanian athletes’ real level of training and performance; the
Romanians still have a lot of things to improve, while their run at
the recently-held championships was a below-par one. The 2018
European vice-champion Ovidiu Ionescu was unable to go past the
quarterfinals. In the women’s version of the event, only four
Romanian table tennis players reached as far as the round of 32.
Adina Diaconu and Bernadette Szőcs were unable to push themselves
forward in the competition. Daniela Dodean made it to the the round
of 16 but she stopped right there. Elizabeta Samara played the semis,
but she was defeated by Germany’s Petrissa Solja, who went on to win
the European title. Eliza walked away with the bronze medal, which,
all things considered, was the Romanian delegation’s best result.
Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Elizabeta
Samara the Athlete of the week.

Elizabeta Samara was born on April 15,
1989, in Constanta. Her record, among other things, includes a string
of European titles she won in the women’s singles, women’s doubles or
mixed doubles events. Eliza also won the European title with the
national women’s team. Elizabeta Samara participated in three
editions of the Olympics, in Beijing, in 2008, in London, in 2012 and
in Rio, in 2016. Elizabeta is currently signed up by the Army’s
Steaua Bucharest Sports Club.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

29 June 2021