Radio România Internațional

Category: Sport

  • RRI Sports Club – Handball

    RRI Sports Club – Handball

    The last couple of days have been extremely important for Romanian handball. In the women’s Champions League, CSM Bucharest qualified for the first time to the semi-finals. On the other hand, the Romanian men’s national team is one step closer to the 2018 European Championships.



    CSM Bucharest managed a historic qualification to the Champions League semi-finals, the first time a Romanian team reaches this phase. In the quarterfinals, CSM knocked out one of this year’s favourite clubs, Rostov-Don of Russia.



    In the first leg on April 2, the Romanian team had won narrowly at home, 26-25. In the return leg played on Russia, CSM also grabbed a narrow 28-27 win. CSM dominated the game, and even secured a 7-goal lead. The ending was dramatic. Rostov-Don came from behind, but couldn’t even the odds.



    Joining CSM in the semi-finals will be Gyor of Hungary, Vardar Skopje of Macedonia and Buducnost Podgorica of Montenegro. The defending European champions, Buducnost qualified to the semi-finals after brushing aside HCM Baia Mare of Romania. Buducnost won the first leg in Romania 29-24 and the return leg in Podgorica 32-25. The semi-finals are scheduled to take place on May 7 and 8 in Budapest.



    Romania’s last representative in the EHF Cup, Corona Brasov, was edged out in the semi-finals after losing to Metzingen of Germany. In the first leg on April 3, the German team won 26-22 in Brasov, and also won Saturday’s return leg played at home, 30-23.



    In men’s handball, Romania’s national team has qualified to the preliminary group phase of the 2018 European Championships. On Sunday, Romania won against Israel 32-21 in Calarasi, in the second leg of the playoffs. In the first leg, Romania had won 30-27 in Tel-Aviv.



    The draw for the main group phase will take place in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Romania is in pot four. Teams will be drawn into seven groups of four teams each. The first two ranking teams in each group, as well as the third-ranking team with the best stats will secure qualification to the European Championships. The host country Croatia is automatically qualified.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • RRI Sports Club – Handball

    RRI Sports Club – Handball

    The last couple of days have been extremely important for Romanian handball. In the women’s Champions League, CSM Bucharest qualified for the first time to the semi-finals. On the other hand, the Romanian men’s national team is one step closer to the 2018 European Championships.



    CSM Bucharest managed a historic qualification to the Champions League semi-finals, the first time a Romanian team reaches this phase. In the quarterfinals, CSM knocked out one of this year’s favourite clubs, Rostov-Don of Russia.



    In the first leg on April 2, the Romanian team had won narrowly at home, 26-25. In the return leg played on Russia, CSM also grabbed a narrow 28-27 win. CSM dominated the game, and even secured a 7-goal lead. The ending was dramatic. Rostov-Don came from behind, but couldn’t even the odds.



    Joining CSM in the semi-finals will be Gyor of Hungary, Vardar Skopje of Macedonia and Buducnost Podgorica of Montenegro. The defending European champions, Buducnost qualified to the semi-finals after brushing aside HCM Baia Mare of Romania. Buducnost won the first leg in Romania 29-24 and the return leg in Podgorica 32-25. The semi-finals are scheduled to take place on May 7 and 8 in Budapest.



    Romania’s last representative in the EHF Cup, Corona Brasov, was edged out in the semi-finals after losing to Metzingen of Germany. In the first leg on April 3, the German team won 26-22 in Brasov, and also won Saturday’s return leg played at home, 30-23.



    In men’s handball, Romania’s national team has qualified to the preliminary group phase of the 2018 European Championships. On Sunday, Romania won against Israel 32-21 in Calarasi, in the second leg of the playoffs. In the first leg, Romania had won 30-27 in Tel-Aviv.



    The draw for the main group phase will take place in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Romania is in pot four. Teams will be drawn into seven groups of four teams each. The first two ranking teams in each group, as well as the third-ranking team with the best stats will secure qualification to the European Championships. The host country Croatia is automatically qualified.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Footballer Florin Andone

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Footballer Florin Andone

    It is a little over two months until the European Football Championship kicks off in France. Romania will play the opening match against the host country France, on June 10, on Stade de France stadium in Paris.



    Until then coach Anghel Iordanescu must decide on the membership of the team capable of moving past the group phase. Iordanescu’s favourite for the position of striker has lately been Florin Andone, a footballer playing in the second-tier league in Spain. In the matches against Lithuania and Spain, Andone didn’t have a stellar performance, but he did pull his weight. His selection to the national team boosted however his morale. Proof thereof was his remarkable performance in Sunday’s match his club, Cordoba, played against Gimnastic de Tarragona. Andone scored a hattrick and was close to scoring a fourth goal, the ball he sent hitting the post. His solid contribution helped his team draw against Tarragona, final score 4-all.



    For his excellent performance, we have designated Florin Andone Athlete of the Week on Radio Romania International.



    Florin Andone was born in Joldesti village, Botosani County, northern Romania, on April 11, 1993. When he was 12, his family moved to Spain, close to Valencia, where he enrolled with a local junior football team. He made his senior debut at Castellon, in 2011. He played in lower tiers until 2014, when he was signed by Cordoba. He made his debut in Primera Division in January 2015. He remained with Cordoba after the team had relegated to the second division, and was among the top goal scorers of Segunda Division in the 2015-2016 season.



    His first official match for Romania was on June 13, 2015, when he played 18 minutes against Northern Ireland as part of the 2016 European Championship qualifiers.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Athlete Andrei Gag

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Athlete Andrei Gag

    Last week the World Indoor Championships in Athletics came to an end in Portland, the US. This was the most important event of its kind in the first half of 2016.



    The results of the Romanian delegation were beyond expectations. Romanian athletes grabbed two medals, considering that the last medal won by a Romanian athlete at the World Cup was 12 years ago.



    Andrei Gag was the first to climb onto the podium. He won silver in the shot put event, with a throw measuring 20 meters 89 centimeters. The result also marked his season best. The bronze medal went to Filip Mihalievic of Croatia, with a shot measuring 20 meters 87 centimeters.



    The second medal was won by Romania’s 4×400-m relay team, made up of Adelina Pastor, Mirela Lavric, Andrea Miklos and Bianca Razor. Our team finished the race in third place after 3.15 minutes. The event was won by the United States, followed by Poland.



    For his remarkable performance this weekend, we have designated Andrei Gag Athlete of the Week on RRI.



    Andrei Gag was born on April 27, 1991 in Bocsig village, Arad County. He obtained his first important results as an athlete in the discus throw event. In 2010 he won silver in the junior championship hosted by the Canadian city of Moncton. Andrei entered the seniors’ circuit later on, switching to the shot put event. His decision was a fortunate one, given that in June 2015 he matched the Olympic result scale, with a shot measuring 20m 69cm. A month later he won the silver medal at the Universiad hosted by Gwangju, South Korea.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Wrestling

    Wrestling

    Romania won three medals in the European Wrestling Championships held in Riga last week. Alina Vuc became silver medallist in the 48-kilogram category, the best performance in her career so far. Alina, 22, has in recent years obtained several medals in the under twenty-one and seniors competitions. With the silver she won in Riga, Alina has also compelled recognition in seniors’ competitions. She came very close to the gold medal but lost in the finals to Maria Stadnik of Azerbaijan, Olympic vice-champion in London and defending European champion.



    Also from the Romanian delegation, free-style wrestler Andrei Dukov won his first medal in the men’s contest of a European championship. Dukov lost to Ukrainian Andrei Iatenko in the semifinals but managed to clinch the bronze after a win against Mahir Amiraslanov of Azerbaijan.



    Ivan Guidea, also from Romania, won his first medal in a major senior competition. He became the bronze medallist after a difficult three-two victory against Munir Recep Aktas of Turkey. Guidea has also obtained a clear win, 11-1, against Ukrainian Petro Bileiciuk.



    In the Greco-Roman section only one wrestler from Romania, Tomi Hinoveanu, managed a good show and fought for the bronze medal in the 71-kilogram category. The Romanian was outperformed by Varsan Boranian of Armenia but in the qualifying rounds he managed to win two games. He lost the decisive game against Balint Korpasi ending up on the 5th position in the standings.

  • A tribute to Iolanda Balas

    A tribute to Iolanda Balas

    Iolanda Balas was a double Olympic champion in the high-jump event. In her career, she set 5 Olympic and 14 world records. For 11 years running her trail was an all-win one, while the 140 competitions she consecutively won were reason enough for her to be included in the Book of World Records.



    Iolanda Balas took up athletics when she was 13, with the Electrica Club in Timisoara, western Romania. Her first notable feat as a senior athlete occurred at the age of 19 when she came in second at the European Championships in Berne. On July 14, 1956, Iolanda Balas for the first time in her career broke the world record, with a jump of 1 meter 76 centimeters.



    Iolanda Balas had the status of the great favorite of the Melbourne Olympics. Her husband Ioan Soter, who was also Iolanda’s coach, was forbidden to leave for Melbourne, because he had a brother who had settled in Australia. Deprived of technical assistance, Iolanda Balas only managed an unassuming 5th position. Back in Romania, Iolanda Balas had to face accusations of having deliberately done poorly in the Olympics. Back then Iolanda Balas had gone through the most difficult moments of her sporting life. However, that would be the last defeat in her entire career.



    At the European Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1958, Iolanda Balas walked away with the gold medal. Two years later, in 1960, she became Olympic champion, with a new world record she set for a jump of 1 meter 85 centimeters. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, in 1964, she won yet another title. A string of world records occurred between the two Olympic wins.



    Iolanda Balsa Soter’s blazing trail took her all the way up to yet another Olympic title she was supposed to win in Mexico City in 1968. One year before the Olympics, in 1967, Iolanda Balas suffered an injury and had no choice other than to give up sports altogether, after 11 years with no defeat on her record sheet.



    In the years that followed, the former great athlete focused on the technical aspects of athletics. She got a string of specialized works published. From 1991 to 2005, Iolanda Balas Sőter was President of the Romanian Athletics Federation. During her term in office, Romanian athletics saw a significant boost, managerially as well as in terms of performance.


    (Translated by E. Nasta)


  • Athlete of the Week – Judoka Daniel Natea

    Athlete of the Week – Judoka Daniel Natea

    The European Judo Union last weekend scheduled the European Open in Prague. It was an all-male competition, given that a womens version of the European Open was concurrently hosted by the Polish capital Warsaw.



    Quite a few Romanian judoka were among the protagonists of the Prague competition. In the 73 kilogram category, Robert Papp Florian defeated Israels Evgeniy Sholos through ippon. However, the Romanian judoka sustained a defeat by Ukraines Artem Homula, also through ippon. In the 81 kilogram category, Elemer Szocs was defeated in his first match against Italian Massimiliano Carollo, while Cristian Bodarlau lost to Kazakh judoka Adlet Missin. In the 100 kilogram category, Valentin Radu grabbed a win over Slovak contender Matej Hajas, but was then defeated by Italian opponent Giuliano Loporchio.



    The big feat occurred in the 100 plus category since Romanias Daniel Natea walked away with gold, winning the final against Russian challenger Soslan Bostanov, again through ippon. Nateas buildup towards the final included wins in the games against Icelands Thormodur Jonsson, also through ippon, against the French Hamza Ouchani and Mongolian Temuulen Battulga.



    Here is what Daniel Natea told the site of the European Judo Union, immediately after winning the final, Today I feel really fine, since its been six months since I last won a medal, so here I am today, walking away with gold, and with 100 points that go with the medal. Now I can carry on with my training for the Olympic Games..



    Daniel Nateas noteworthy feat in Prague prompted Radio Romania International to designate the young judoka the Athlete of the Week.



    Our top-flight judoka was born on April 21st, 1992 in the central Romanian town of Sibiu. He took up judo when he was 10. Year after year he made a step forward in his career, constantly climbing up in international rankings. Daniel Natea currently ranks 14th in the world standings of the 100+ kilogram category.



    (Translated by E. Nasta)

  • RRI Sports Club – A million-euro brand

    RRI Sports Club – A million-euro brand

    Owned by the Romanian Army, Steaua Bucharest has been one of Romanias most successful sports clubs since its foundation in 1947. For nearly 70 years Steaya athletes have scooped medals for Romania in Olympic, world and European competitions. The football club Steaua Bucharest won the European Champions Cup in 1986. In 1987 it won the European Supercup, while in 1989 it played the European Champions Cup finals.



    Earlier this week the Romanian Defense Ministry made public the net worth of the brand Steaua, standing at some 57 million euros. High as it may seem, this figure takes into account all of the clubs sports divisions. The estimate also accounts for all the Olympic, world and European titles, as well as the other international trophies won by athletes and teams competing for the Steaua club, including its football team. To give just an example, overall Steaua athletes have grabbed 86 Olympic medals, 403 world medals and 506 European medals.



    Over the next days the net worth of the Steaua brand will be broken down to account for each of its divisions. All eyes in the media are pointed at the Steaua Bucharest Football Club, the defending champions in the current football season, a club owned by the controversial businessman George Becali. The club emerged under a different name in December 2014, when a ruling of the High Court of Cassation and Justice stipulated that George Becali had illegally made use of the Steaua brand in the 2004-2014 period. The Steaua Bucharest Army Sports Club must now estimate the total prejudice of this transgression. The Ministry of Defense will then take appropriate action to reclaim the prejudice from George Becalis club. How much of it and how, and particularly the effects this will have on the Steaua football club remains to be seen.


  • Athlete of the Week on RRI

    Athlete of the Week on RRI

    The Romanian women’s epee team has moved up in top position in the World Cup rankings. On Sunday, in the World Cup stage of the women’s epee team competition hosted by Buenos Aires, the Romanian fencers grabbed a 45-40 win over Russia in the team finals. In the eighth finals Romania edged out Brazil 45-37, in the quarterfinals they knocked out the United States 45-27, and in the semi-finals they defeated Estonia 45-36.



    In the singles competition, Simona Gherman ranked 3rd. In the first round she defeated Liubov Shutova of Russia, 15-13. She won narrowly against Erika Kirpu of Estonia 15-14 in the second round, and won against Nathalie Moellhausen of Brazil 15-12 in the eighth finals. In the semi-finals Gherman won easily against Britta Heidemann of Germany, the Olympic champion of 2008. In the semi-finals however she lost to Irina Embrich of Estonia, 15-10.



    For her good performance in the World Cup this weekend, we have designated Simona Gherman Athlete of the Week on RRI. Simona Gherman was born on April 12, 1985 in Bucharest. In 2004 she became the world junior champion in the team event, alongside Loredana Iordachioiu and Ana-Maria Branza. In the seniors’ competitions, she won two world titles with Romania’s team, in 2010 in Paris and in 2011 in Catania. Simona Gherman also contributed to Romania’s five European titles, in 2008 in Kiev, in 2009 in Plovdiv, in 2011 in Sheffield, in 2014 in Strasbourg and in 2015 in Montreux. In 2012 she became European champion in the singles event in Legnano, Italy.

  • Athlete of the Week on RRI

    Athlete of the Week on RRI

    The Romanian women’s epee team has moved up in top position in the World Cup rankings. On Sunday, in the World Cup stage of the women’s epee team competition hosted by Buenos Aires, the Romanian fencers grabbed a 45-40 win over Russia in the team finals. In the eighth finals Romania edged out Brazil 45-37, in the quarterfinals they knocked out the United States 45-27, and in the semi-finals they defeated Estonia 45-36.



    In the singles competition, Simona Gherman ranked 3rd. In the first round she defeated Liubov Shutova of Russia, 15-13. She won narrowly against Erika Kirpu of Estonia 15-14 in the second round, and won against Nathalie Moellhausen of Brazil 15-12 in the eighth finals. In the semi-finals Gherman won easily against Britta Heidemann of Germany, the Olympic champion of 2008. In the semi-finals however she lost to Irina Embrich of Estonia, 15-10.



    For her good performance in the World Cup this weekend, we have designated Simona Gherman Athlete of the Week on RRI. Simona Gherman was born on April 12, 1985 in Bucharest. In 2004 she became the world junior champion in the team event, alongside Loredana Iordachioiu and Ana-Maria Branza. In the seniors’ competitions, she won two world titles with Romania’s team, in 2010 in Paris and in 2011 in Catania. Simona Gherman also contributed to Romania’s five European titles, in 2008 in Kiev, in 2009 in Plovdiv, in 2011 in Sheffield, in 2014 in Strasbourg and in 2015 in Montreux. In 2012 she became European champion in the singles event in Legnano, Italy.

  • RRI Sports Club – Rugby

    RRI Sports Club – Rugby

    In the inaugural game of the current edition of the Rugby Europe Championship, Romania’s Stejarii – “The Oak Leaf Knights” trounced Portugal, 39-14. The Romanians have also been awarded the offensive game bonus point thanks to their excellent run in the second half of the game. At half time, Portugal had a 4 point lead, 14-10. Scoring for Romania were Stephen Shennan and Vlad Nistor, with two tries each, while Florin Radoi scored yet another try. Florin Vlaicu successfully converted four of the Romanian team’s tries, also converting two penalty kicks.



    In other fixtures at the weekend, Georgia thrashed Germany, 59-7, while Russia outclassed Spain, 22-20. The Romanian national squad’s next fixture is the game against Spain on February 13, in Madrid.



    For the game against Spain, Romania’s national squad’s pool of regulars has included six more players. Apart from the 31 rugby players summoned for the game against Portugal, the Welsh manager Lynn Howells also summoned captain Mihai Macovei and Otar Turashvili, both currently playing for French team Colomiers. Joining them are props Silviu Sebastian Suciu and Paul Alexandru Rusu, both signed up by CSM Stiinta Baia Mare, scrumhalf Alexandru Tigla, of CSM Bucharest and young Ionut Balaban of the National Center of Excellence.



    Furthermore, scrumhalf Tudorel Bratu, having sustained a minor injury during a training session last week, has completely recovered and will be used for next week’s game against Spain, according to Agerpress news agency.



    This past weekend saw games being played counting towards the inaugural stage of the Six Nations Tournament. On Saturday in Edinburgh, England defeated Scotland 15-9, while France narrowly defeated Italy, 23-21, on Stade de France. In Dublin on Sunday, Ireland held Wales to a 16-all draw.



    The second stage of the competition is scheduled for this weekend, when France will be facing Ireland, Wales will be taking on Scotland and Italy will go up against England.

  • RRI Sports Club – Rugby

    RRI Sports Club – Rugby

    In the inaugural game of the current edition of the Rugby Europe Championship, Romania’s Stejarii – “The Oak Leaf Knights” trounced Portugal, 39-14. The Romanians have also been awarded the offensive game bonus point thanks to their excellent run in the second half of the game. At half time, Portugal had a 4 point lead, 14-10. Scoring for Romania were Stephen Shennan and Vlad Nistor, with two tries each, while Florin Radoi scored yet another try. Florin Vlaicu successfully converted four of the Romanian team’s tries, also converting two penalty kicks.



    In other fixtures at the weekend, Georgia thrashed Germany, 59-7, while Russia outclassed Spain, 22-20. The Romanian national squad’s next fixture is the game against Spain on February 13, in Madrid.



    For the game against Spain, Romania’s national squad’s pool of regulars has included six more players. Apart from the 31 rugby players summoned for the game against Portugal, the Welsh manager Lynn Howells also summoned captain Mihai Macovei and Otar Turashvili, both currently playing for French team Colomiers. Joining them are props Silviu Sebastian Suciu and Paul Alexandru Rusu, both signed up by CSM Stiinta Baia Mare, scrumhalf Alexandru Tigla, of CSM Bucharest and young Ionut Balaban of the National Center of Excellence.



    Furthermore, scrumhalf Tudorel Bratu, having sustained a minor injury during a training session last week, has completely recovered and will be used for next week’s game against Spain, according to Agerpress news agency.



    This past weekend saw games being played counting towards the inaugural stage of the Six Nations Tournament. On Saturday in Edinburgh, England defeated Scotland 15-9, while France narrowly defeated Italy, 23-21, on Stade de France. In Dublin on Sunday, Ireland held Wales to a 16-all draw.



    The second stage of the competition is scheduled for this weekend, when France will be facing Ireland, Wales will be taking on Scotland and Italy will go up against England.

  • A roundup of the weekend’s main sporting events

    A roundup of the weekend’s main sporting events

    In the
    quarterfinals fixture venued by the central Transylvanian city of Cluj, the
    Czech team, who are the trophy holders outclassed Romania, 3-2. In the inaugural game this past Saturday,
    Simona Halep was defeated by Karolina Pliskova, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.




    Monica Niculescu
    drew level in the game against Petra Kvitova, securing a 6-3, 6-4 win. On
    Saturday, Simona Halep also booked yet another win against Kvitova, again in
    three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. However, Monica Niculescu conceded defeat to
    Karolina Pliskova, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. The doubles turned out to be crucial under
    the circumstances, and the pair made up of Karolina Pliskova and Barbora
    Strycova secured a 6-2, 6-3 win against Andreea Mitu and Raluca Olaru.






    And now, it’s news
    from women’s handball as this past weekend games were played counting towards
    the Champions League. HCM Baia Mare has climbed up on the 3rd
    position in the main group one. On Friday, Baia Mare trounced FTC Budapest on
    home court, 32-24. Next week, HCM will be traveling to France for a fixture
    against Fleury Loiret.




    On Saturday in
    Gyor, local side Audi ETO defeated CSM Bucharest, 28 – 22. CSM are 4th-placed
    in main group two. In the next fixture on February 16th, CSM will be
    taking on Vardar Skopje of Macedonia.




    We carry on with
    news from rugby. Romania’s national fifteen had an auspicious start in the 2016
    edition of the Rugby Europe Championship competition season. In Cluj on
    Saturday, The Oak Leaf Knights trounced Portugal, 39-14. The Romanian squad
    also had the bonus point for its offensive game, thanks to its excellent run in
    the second half.




    At halftime,
    Portugal had a 14-10 lead, and even had a 14-7 lead throughout the game. In
    other games at the weekend, Georgia outclassed Germany, 59-7, while Russia
    managed a hard-fought win against Spain, 22-20. The Oak Leaf Knights’ next
    fixture is the game against Spain on February 13th in Madrid.






    We go out with
    news from football. With Anghel Iordanescu at the helm, on Saturday, Romania’s
    national squad outclassed Bulgarian sude Beroe Stara Zagora, 2-1, as part of
    the national team’s pre-season training stage in Turkey. Romania had previously
    outperformed Georgian side Torpedo Kutaisi, 5-1, also securing a 1-nil win
    against Zimbru Chisinau of Republic of Moldova.






    Romania’s
    champions team Steaua are also in Turkey and concluded their pre-season
    training stage with a nil-one defeat against Slovak opponents Trencin. In
    Turkey, Steaua’s record included two wins, two draws, and a defeat. 2-all in
    the game against Young Boys Berne of Switzerland, 2-nil against Ujpest of
    Hungary, 1-nil in the fixture against Sturm Graz of Austria. Then Steaua
    sustained a 3-nil defeat against Ludogoretz Razgrad and managed another 2-all
    draw against Sweden’s Djurgardens.













  • Sports Club – Athletics

    Sports Club – Athletics

    Romanian athletes have obtained promising results in the indoor athletics season that has just begun. Romanian athlete Claudia Borcea won the 15-hundred-meter race in the contest held in Luxembourg at the weekend. She ended the race in 4 minutes, 9 seconds 64, setting a personal record and qualifying for the World Indoor Championships due in Portland, the USA over March 17th and 20th. Furthermore her result has been the best world performance in the indoor season so far.



    Another great hope of the Romanian athletics, Florentina Marincu, has made a successful comeback to the track after knee surgery. On Sunday she won the long jump event in the first leg of the World Indoor Athletics Championships. Marincu has put on a remarkable show with 6 meters and 49 centimeters, the seasons’ fifth European performance, but failed to qualify as the lowest threshold stands at 6 meters and 70 centimeters.



    Also during the National Championships held in Bucharest last weekend, Marius-Cristian Dumitrache managed a 2 meter 26 centimeter high jump, a result that pushed him among the world’s best athletes. His main opponent, Mihai Donisan only managed 2 meters and 18 centimeters. According to Agerpress news agency, Donisan has approached this season cautiously as he is already qualified for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.



    Most of the Romanian athletes qualified for the Rio Olympics are part of the national athletics team. Marius Ionescu will be representing us in the marathon race, Mihai Donisan in the high jump event, Marian Oprea will be participating in the triple jump contest, Adrian Gag in the men’s shot put contest, Bianca Razor will be taking the start in the 400 meter race and Florina Pierdevara will be running in the 800 meter race. Claudia Stef will be representing Romania in the 20 km race walking event and Alina Rotaru in the long jump competition.


    (Translated by D. Bilt)



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

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

    Last weekend the city of Barcelona in Spain played host to the womens World Cup epee competition. In the team event, Romania ranked 7th. In the womens singles however, Ana-Maria Popescu grabbed bronze. It was the best performance for a Romanian athlete in recent days, which is why we have designated Ana-Maria Popescu Athlete of the Week on RRI.



    The Beijing Olympic vice-champion entered the competition into the main draw, and eased past Josephine Jacques Andre Coquin of France in the first round, 13-10. In the second round, Ana-Maria Popescu defeated Tatiana Gudkova of Russia, 15-10, while in the quarterfinals she knocked out Violetta Kolobova of Russia, 15-8.



    In the semi-finals, Ana Maria Popescu lost to Mara Navarria of Italy, 9-8. Subsequently the Italian fencer won the tournament. Ana-Maria Popescu was born on November 26, 1984. Her first notable result in international competitions came in 2001, when she became world cadet champion in Poland. In 2002 she became world junior champion in Turkey. Also in 2002 she ranked 3rd at the seniors World Championships in Lisbon.



    At the 2004 Athens Olympics she ranked 16th. She made up for her poor performance four years later at the Beijing Olympics, where she walked away with silver. In 2010 and 2011 she was part of the Romanian womens epee team that won the world title. In 2013, at the European Championships in Croatia, Ana-Maria Popescu won gold in the singles competition and silver with Romanias national team. At the European Championships in 2014 in Strasbourg and in 2015 in Montreux, she won gold with Romanias team.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)