Radio România Internațional

Tag: Tokyo Olympics

  • Olympic Profiles – Cyclist Vlad Dascălu

    Olympic Profiles – Cyclist Vlad Dascălu

    One of the
    youngest members of Romania’s delegation for the Tokyo Olympics due next year
    is cyclist Vlad Dascălu. He secured qualification to the Olympic Games back in
    2019, when he won the World Championship, the World Cup and the European
    Championship in the under-23 cross-country mountain bike competition.


    Vlad Dascălu was
    born on December 7, 1997 in the village of Buda, near Falticeni, in Suceava
    County. At 9 years of age he moved to Spain with his parents. It is here that he
    got his first bike, aged 10. According to the website of the Romanian Olympic
    and Sports Committee, Vlad first competed in a cycling competition at the age
    of 14. At 16 he took part in his first cross-country race and he ranked 2nd.
    This was the moment that would forever shape his sports career. Only a year
    later, at the Youth European Championship, he came in 6th.


    At the age of
    18, he came to Romania and won the national mountain bike championship, the cross-country
    Olympic event, despite being an amateur and having enrolled in the race
    individually. He was immediately signed by Dinamo BikeXpert Superbet, where he
    grabbed his first notable performances. He commuted from Spain to Romania to
    train with his team, he won World Cup points and started being scouted by
    top-class teams.


    In 2018 he was
    signed by Brujula Bike Racing Team in Spain. In July 2019, in Brno, the Czech
    Republic, he won the European Youth Championship in the under-23 category. A
    month later, in Mont Sainte-Anne, Canada, he won the world title in the same
    category. He also grabbed good performances at the World Cup, winning 4 out of
    the 7 stages, a feat for which he was designated cyclist of the year 2019 in
    Romania.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)



  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Wrestler

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Wrestler

    At the end of last week the
    European Wrestling Championships came to a close in Rome, Italy. Romania’s
    delegation has exceeded its set target of 2-3 medals. Romanian wrestlers walked
    home with 4 medals. The most important one was the gold scooped by Alin
    Alexuc-Ciurariu in the 130kg Greek-Roman category. Albert Saritov won silver in
    the 97-kg category in free wrestling. Catalina Axente in the 72-kg category and
    Nikolai Okhlopkov in 61-kg category each won bronze in the free wrestling
    category. For his remarkable performance in Rome, we have designated Alin
    Alexuc-Ciurariu Athlete of the Week on RRI.


    In Rome, Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu last
    Monday knocked out Zurabi Ghedehauri of Russia in the round of 16. In the
    quarterfinals, he eased past Sabah Saleh Shariati of Azerbaijan, and in the
    semi-finals he eliminated Nikola Kucimi of Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Romanian
    defeated Levan Arabuli of Georgia in the final, score 6-1. Let us further note
    that, upon his return to Romania, he presented his gold medal before a
    28-thousand-strong crowd gathered on National Arena stadium in Bucharest, right
    before the kick-off of the match pitting Bucharest rivals Dinamo and FCSB.


    Alin Alexuc is a member of Dinamo sports
    club in Bucharest. He was born in Botosani and turned 30 on February 3. The
    result in Rome marks his career best. Previously Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu won
    bronze medals at the European Wrestling Chamionships in Kaspiysk, Russia in
    2018, and last year in Bucharest. His immediate goal is to secure qualification
    to the Tokyo Summer Olympics. He can achieve that at the pre-Olympic tournament
    venued in Budapest in March, or at the tournament to be held in Sofia in early
    May. Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu has taken part in the last two editions of the
    Olympic Games. In 2016 in Rio he was very close to securing a bronze medal.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Fencer Ana-Maria Popescu

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Fencer Ana-Maria Popescu

    Romanian fencer Ana-Maria Popescu
    on Sunday won the women’s epee singles at the World Cup in Doha. In the final
    she defeated Mara Navarria of Italy, 15-9. For her remarkable performance, we
    have designated Ana-Maria Popescu Athlete of the Week on RRI.


    In Doha, Ana-Maria ousted Camille
    Nabeth of France, 15-10 in the first round. In the second round she won 15-9
    against Estonian Katrina Lehis. In the round of 16 she knocked out Hyo-jung Jung
    of South Korea, 15-6. In the quarterfinals she won 10-9 against Katharine
    Holmes of the United States, while in the semis she defeated Tatyana
    Andryushina of Russia.


    Ana Maria Popescu, better known to
    fencing lovers as Ana Maria Branza, was born on November 26, 1984. For the
    first time ever Ana Maria Popescu compelled international recognition in 2001,
    when she won the title at the World Cadets Championships held in Poland. A year
    later, Ana Maria Popescu reaped the world juniors title at the world
    championships in Turkey. 2002 turned out to be a special year for Ana Maria
    Popescu, who walked away with silver from the World Seniors Championships held
    in Lisbon.


    In 2008 in Bejing, Ana Maria
    Popescu won the silver medal, the highest distinction for Romanian fencing at
    the Beijing Olympics. At the Rio Olympics of 2016, she won the gold medal in
    the team event with Romania’s national team.


    Let us further note that this
    season Ana-Maria Popescu won the Tallinn Fencing Championships in 2019, ranking
    second in the Havana World Championships earlier this year. She is the leader
    in the World Cup general standings, being very close to securing qualification
    to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo this year.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)