Radio România Internațional

Category: Sport

  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Fencer Simona Pop

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Fencer Simona Pop

    Romanian fencer Simona Pop won the bronze medal in the women’s epee event at the European Fencing Championships in Montreux, Switzerland. Simona Pop didn’t play in the first round, while in the second round she eased past Dorina Budai of Hungary, 15-3. In the eighth finals Simona edged out Emma Samuelsson of Sweden 15-14, while in the quarterfinals she defeated Tatiana Logunova of Russia 15-11. In the semi-finals, Simona Pop lost 15-9 to Rossella Fiamingo of Italy, the defending world champion. The gold went to Violetta Kolobova of Russia, who defeated Fiamingo 15-12 in the final. Emese Szasz of Hungary also scooped bronze after losing to Kolobova 15-10 in the semi-finals.



    For her remarkable achievement, we have designated Simona Pop Athlete of the Week on RRI.



    Simona Pop was born in Satu Mare, northwestern Romania on December 25, 1988. She took up fencing in her hometown and managed her first notable performance in 2008, when she won silver at the World Junior Fencing Championship in Acireale, Italy. In 2013 she was silver-medallist at the Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia.



    In the 2012-2013 season Simona Pop won bronze at the World Championships in Saint-Maur, France and silver at the European Champions’ Cup with Romania’s team. In the 2013-2014 season, Pop won gold with Romania’s team at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar.



    Simona Pop was then drafted into Romania’s senior team, and became the team’s number two player after captain Ana-Maria Branza. Shortly afterwards she was signed by CSA Steaua Bucharest.



    With Romania’s team she won the bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships and gold at the 2014 European Championships, where Romania defeated Russia in the final match 38-34.


    Simona Pop has been married to fencer Adrian Pop since 2012.

  • Romanian players at Roland Garros

    Romanian players at Roland Garros

    Horia Tecau is the only Romanian player still in
    competition, in the doubles. Together with the Dutch player Jean Julien Rojer,
    he reached as far as the semifinals.




    On Tuesday, the Romanian-Dutch pair defeated second seeds Vasek Pospisil
    of Canada and Jack Sock of the US. This is Tecau’s best run at the French Open
    after his 2011 quarterfinal, when he formed a pair with the Swedish player
    Robert Lindstedt. This is also the second time the Tecau-Rojer pair reach a
    Grand Slam semifinal, their first being the Australian Open early this week.
    Seeded fifth, Tecau and Rojer will face the third-seeded Croatian-Brazilian
    pair Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo in the semis.




    Horia Tecau
    also reached the mixed doubles semifinals, where he pairs up with the Slovenian
    pair Katarina Srebotnik. They face the second seeds Mike Bryan and Bethanie
    Mattek-Sands.




    In the singles,
    Andreea Mitu was the only Romanian player to reach as far as the fourth round,
    where she lost to Alison van Uytvanck of Belgium in straight sets. This was
    Mitu’s best career record.

  • The Romanian Football Championship in its final stage

    The Romanian Football Championship in its final stage

    Fixtures counting towards the last round of domestic League Ones championship are scheduled from Wednesday all through to Sunday. So the fight for the top positions in the rankings as well the fight to avoid relegation is to be decided in the days to come.



    On Wednesday, four games are scheduled, which are crucial for the final layout of the lower part of the rankings. Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt, Otelul from Galati, Universitatea Cluj and Rapid Bucharest cannot avoid relegation to the second tier of the championship. FC Brasov, Concordia Chiajna and Gaz Metan Medias are fighting for the 12th position, actually the first one above the relegation line. With three points less than Chiajna and Medias, FC Brasov stand only theoretical chances to get hold of the 12th position and entirely depend on the results of the other games in the same part of the rankings.



    On Wednesday, Brasovs home game against Gaz Metan Medias is a must-win one, while Concordia Chiajna will have to lose to Petrolul Ploiesti at home in order for Brasov to remain in the first league. Gaz Metan are likely to escape relegation if they snatch a win against FC Brasov, and that even if Chiajna wins the game against Petrolul, but by no more than a goal. Concordia could retain its League One position if Petrolul won and Gaz Metan failed to win the game against FC Brasov.



    Also on Wednesday, Rapid Bucharest are pitted against Pandurii Targu Jiu, while Universitatea Cluj will be taking on Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt. Both games carry no stake whatsoever as regards relegation or grabbing a place in the European competitions.



    The crucial match for the champion title is to be played in Iasi on Thursday, as Steaua Bucharest will go against local side CSMS Iasi. On the same day and on home soil, ASA Targu Mures are pitted against Otelul from Galati. If ASA wins the game against Otelul and Steaua are defeated in Iasi, ASA are highly likely to walk away with the champion title, which is an absolute first for domestic League Ones championship.



    On Friday, FC Botosani will be playing Viitorul from Constanta on home ground, while Astra Giurgiu will be traveling to Bucharest to prove their mettle against Dinamo. Should they win, Astra are entitled to a final 4th position in the rankings, a position that can take them to Europa League preliminaries.



    The rounds last game is scheduled on Saturday, as CSU Craiova are pitted against CFR Cluj. The latter team has already secured the third position in the rankings, while Craiova luckily escaped relegation, so the game will only count for the record, and for the show.


  • Sport Club RRI – Handball

    Sport Club RRI – Handball

    Romanian handball player Cristina Neagu has won the Champions League with her squad, Buducnost
    Podgorica. The team from Montenegro this past Sunday outperformed Norwegian
    contenders Larvik, 26-22, in the finals hosted by the Hungarian capital
    Budapest. Buducnost ended the competition with no defeat, adding to its record
    sheet the second Champions league trophy. Buducnost’s inter-left, Cristina
    Neagu had the lead in the League’s scorers rankings, with 102 goals scored, on
    a par with Croatia’s Andrea Penezic, currently playing for Vardar Skopje. In
    the finals, the Romanian scored three goals, yet Penezic had scored nine, in
    the confrontation counting towards the third position in the League.

    The team
    representing Romania in the League, HCM Baia Mare reached as far as the
    quarterfinals. HCM wasted the opportunity to make headway into the semifinals,
    conceding defeat to Russian squad Dinamo-Sinara of Volgograd.


    The Romanian
    women’s handball championship is well underway with the semifinals. In the
    first semifinal game played on Monday, the champions Baia Mare snatched a 25-20
    defeat against HCM Roman, away from home. HCM Baia Mare will be playing their
    upcoming fixture on home court, on May 15 and 17, most likely. On Tuesday, CSM
    Bucharest outclassed Corona Brasov, 28-26, after the individual shootouts from
    the seven-meter line. Right now CSM Bucharest rank as favorites to quality for
    the finals. CSM’s semifinals fixtures, to be played at home, are scheduled for
    May 17 and May 18 at the latest.


    We go out with the latest from men’s
    handball, as on Sunday the first leg is scheduled, counting towards the
    Challenge Cup finals. The Romanian squad Handball Club Odorhei will be facing
    Portuguese side Liberty Seguros ABC/Uminho, away from home. In 1994, the
    Portuguese side played the Champions League finals, with the then name of ABC
    Braga, conceding defeat to TEKA Santander of Spain. In 2005, Liberty Seguros
    reached as far as the Challenge Cup finals, but again the Portuguese side
    conceded defeat to Swiss contenders Wacker Thun.










  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Tennis player Florin Mergea

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Tennis player Florin Mergea

    This weekend the Madrid Masters Tournament, owned by former tennis legend Ion Tiriac, came to an end. Florin Mergea of Romania and Rohan Bopanna of India won the mens doubles. For his remarkable achievement, we have designated Florin Mergea Athlete of the Week on RRI.



    In the first round, Mergea and Bopanna knocked out Marin Draganja of Croatia and Henri Kontinen of Finland, 5-7, 7-6, 10-6. In the round of 16, they defeated eighth-seeds Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, 6-4, 4-6, 10-5. In the quarterfinals, the two took on Juan Sebstian Cabal of Columbia and Adrian Mannarino of France, which they outperformed, 6-3, 6-2. The semifinals pitted Mergea and Bopanna against sixth-seeds Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez of Spain. It was a close win, final score 6-7, 6-3, 11-9. In Sundays final game, Mergea and Bopanna played fifth-seeds Marcin Matkowski of Poland and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia. They won the match 6-2, 6-7, 11-9. For their win, Mergea and Bopanna were awarded 1,000 ATP points and a 250,000-dollar check.



    Ranked 14th in ATP doubles standings, Florin Mergea managed the greatest performance in his career. Mergea has another three ATP trophies on his track record: one in 2013 in Vienna alongside Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic and two last year, in Vina del Mar with Olver Marach of Austria and in Hamburg with Marin Draganja of Croatia.



    Let us note that Florin Mergea was born on January 26, 1985 in Craiova, into a family of physicians. As a young player, Mergea paired up with Horia Tecau. The two had a good run together, winning several top-level competitions, including the under-21 mens doubles in Wimbledon. Over the last three years, Florin Mergea had a surprising ascension, given that hes arguably no longer in his prime. In September 2012 he made it into the worlds top 100 players in doubles standings. At present he is ranked 15th.


  • Athlete of the Week – Gymnast Andreea Munteanu

    Athlete of the Week – Gymnast Andreea Munteanu

    The French city of Montpellier last week played host to the European Gymnastics Championships. Representing Romania in the women’s competition were Diana Bulimar, Laura Jurca, Andreea Iridon and Andreea Munteanu, while Cristian Bataga, Marius Berbecar, Vlad Cotuna, Andrei Muntean, Andrei Ursache and Daniel Radeanu competed in the men’s events.



    None of our athletes made it to the men’s all-around event, while in the women’s all-around Laura Jurca finished in 7th place and Diana Bulimar in 12th position.



    Marius Berbecar and Andrei Muntean qualified to the parallel bars final, with Berbecar grabbing silver.



    In the women’s competition, Andreea Munteanu qualified to the beam and floor finals. She ranked 8th in the floor final but won gold in the beam event. For her remarkable performance, we have designated Andreea Munteanu Athlete of the Week on RRI.



    This is the second gold medal for Munteanu in European competitions. Last year in Sofia, her first official competition, she contributed to the gold medal Romania grabbed in the team event.



    Andreea Munteanu was born on May 29, 1998 in Bustuchin village, Gorj County, South-Western Romania. In April 2012 she was drafted into Romania’s under 21 team for the European Championships in Brussels. That year she ranked 3rd with the team, grabbing another two medals: silver in the beam event and bronze in the floor event. She made her debut with Romania’s senior team in March 2014, at the World Cup competition in Cottbus, Germany, where she won bronze in the beam event. This year, at the World Cup competition in Cottbus she won gold in the beam event and silver in the floor finals.


  • Radio Romania International Sports Club – Wrestling

    Radio Romania International Sports Club – Wrestling

    Dinamo wrestler, 25-year old Alin Alexuc has won the bronze medal in the Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan” Memorial International Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey, in the 98-kilogram category, Greco-Roman style, according to the announcement made by Dinamo. The Romanian wrestler competed in five matches, of which he won four, conceding one defeat only, in the match against Turkey’s Ildem Cenk, who had also defeated Alexuc in the 2014 edition of the World Championships. In the match for the bronze medal in Istanbul, Alexuc defeated Timofey Deynichenko of Belarus.



    In the Istanbul tournament, another Romanian wrestler, Virgil Munteanu, came in fifth in the 59-kilogram category, while yet another Romanian, Tomi Hinoveanu, competed in the tournament’s 71-kilogram category. Last month, Alexuc came in third in Hungary’s Grand Prix. Taking part in the Istanbul tournament were 300 Greco-Roman wrestlers. After the competition in Turkey, wrestlers will be travelling straight to Bulgaria, for a training stage that will come to an end on April 26, after the Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov Memorial International tournament.



    Born in Botosani, northern Romania, Alin Alexuc represented our country in the 2012 London Olympics, in the 96-kilogram category, where he conceded defeat to Bulgarian wrestler Elis Guri, 3-nil, in the competition’s very first round



    In June 2015, Romania will be playing host to the World Beach Wrestling Championships, according to the announcement posted by the Romanian Wrestling federation on its official Facebook page. The event will be hosted by the Romanian Black Sea resort of Mangalia, where “the world’s top-flight wrestlers” are expected.



    Romania has also been officially granted permission to host the 2016 edition of the European Juniors Championships, to be held in Bucharest over June 21 and 26. The Romanian Wrestling Federation also keeps its hopes high it would organize the European Seniors Championships in 2017. Three-time world beach wrestling champion Vlad Caras, who also won gold in the World Championships, will now have the chance to defend his titles in front of his fans, according to the Romanian Wrestling Federation.





  • Romanian tennis player Simona Halep

    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep

    Tennis player Simona Halep, the Romanian athlete with the greatest performances in the last year, has been nominated to the title of the best WTA player in March, along with American Serena Williams and Spanish Carla Suarez Navarro. Halep is number 3 seed in the female standings and was voted as the best player in February in the poll posted on the WTA site.



    In the second half of March, Simona Halep won the Indian Wells tournament in the Premier Mandatory category. In the final, she defeated Spanish Carla Suarez Navarro 2-6, 7-5, 6-4. In the Miami tournament, also in the Premier Mandatory category, Simona Halep lost to world leader Serena Williams 2-6, 6-4, 5-7 in the semifinals. After the match, Serena Williams said, quoted by the WTA site: “Simona’s play was extraordinary. She is so young and I enjoy seeing her play. Actually, I am a fan of hers.”



    For her performances in the two American tournaments, Radio Romania International has designated Simona Halep the Athlete of the Week. Simona Halep was born in the Black Sea port-town of Constanta on September 27th 1991. She played her first matches in the ITF circuit in 2006. In 2010, she was one of the 100 top female players in the WTA ranking. She was the great revelation in 2013, when she had 53 victories and only 17 defeats, winning six WTA tournaments, in Nurnberg, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Budapest, New Haven, Moscow and Sofia. In 2014, Simona Halep won the Doha and Bucharest tournaments and was finalist in Roland Garros and Madrid. Last August, she was seeded 2nd in the world standings, the highest position ever held by a Romanian female tennis player. At the end of 2014, she ranked third in the WTA ranking.



    In 2015, Simona Halep won the Shenzhen tournament in China and the Dubai tournament, the latter bringing her 456,000 dollars in prize money. She has so far won 22 matches and lost two.


  • RRI Sports Club – tennis

    RRI Sports Club – tennis

    The center of world tennis for more than a week now has moved to Miami, the American city hosting two major tournaments, a men’s event and a women’s contest, respectively, with more than 5 million dollars in prize money. Romanian tennis players proved themselves in both versions of the Miami tournament.



    In the women’s competition, the world’s number three tennis player Simona Halep Wednesday night will be fighting for a place in the semifinals, at 2 am Bucharest time on Thursday. Halep will be taking on US tennis player Sloane Stephens, the world’s number 45 according to WTA rankings. Head-to-heads points to four confrontations and a 2-all draw between the two tennis players. However, in their last match Halep defeated Stephens, 6-4, 6-3, in the Roland Garros semifinals last year.



    Early 2015 turned out to be auspicious for Halep as she succeeded a string of wins in Shenzhen, Dubai and Indian Wells. In Miami, Simona competed straight into the second round. First she edged past Czech tennis player Nicole Vaidisova, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. In the third round she defeated Italy’s Camila Giorgi, 6-4, 7-5, then in the eighth finals Halep defeated a much more experienced contender, Flavia Pennetta, also of Italy, 6-3, 7-5.



    Another Romanian player, Monica Niculescu, will be competing in the women’s contest of the tournament in Miami. In the doubles event, pairing up with Russia’s Alexandra Panova, Niculescu defeated the Taiwanese-Italian pair made up of Su Wei Hsieh and number 4 favorite Flavia Pennetta in the eighth finals, 3-6, 6-3, 11-9. In the quarterfinals, Niculescu and Panova will be taking on the all-Czech pair made up of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, number 9 favorites to winning the title.



    In the men’s doubles, a Romanian-Dutch pair made of Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer is the number four favourite to winning the tournament. So the two stand chances to go through to the semifinals. However, on Wednesday night, Tecau and Rojer will have to defeat the all-American pair made of John Isner and Sam Querrey.

  • RRI Sports Club – tennis

    RRI Sports Club – tennis

    The center of world tennis for more than a week now has moved to Miami, the American city hosting two major tournaments, a men’s event and a women’s contest, respectively, with more than 5 million dollars in prize money. Romanian tennis players proved themselves in both versions of the Miami tournament.



    In the women’s competition, the world’s number three tennis player Simona Halep Wednesday night will be fighting for a place in the semifinals, at 2 am Bucharest time on Thursday. Halep will be taking on US tennis player Sloane Stephens, the world’s number 45 according to WTA rankings. Head-to-heads points to four confrontations and a 2-all draw between the two tennis players. However, in their last match Halep defeated Stephens, 6-4, 6-3, in the Roland Garros semifinals last year.



    Early 2015 turned out to be auspicious for Halep as she succeeded a string of wins in Shenzhen, Dubai and Indian Wells. In Miami, Simona competed straight into the second round. First she edged past Czech tennis player Nicole Vaidisova, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. In the third round she defeated Italy’s Camila Giorgi, 6-4, 7-5, then in the eighth finals Halep defeated a much more experienced contender, Flavia Pennetta, also of Italy, 6-3, 7-5.



    Another Romanian player, Monica Niculescu, will be competing in the women’s contest of the tournament in Miami. In the doubles event, pairing up with Russia’s Alexandra Panova, Niculescu defeated the Taiwanese-Italian pair made up of Su Wei Hsieh and number 4 favorite Flavia Pennetta in the eighth finals, 3-6, 6-3, 11-9. In the quarterfinals, Niculescu and Panova will be taking on the all-Czech pair made up of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, number 9 favorites to winning the title.



    In the men’s doubles, a Romanian-Dutch pair made of Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer is the number four favourite to winning the tournament. So the two stand chances to go through to the semifinals. However, on Wednesday night, Tecau and Rojer will have to defeat the all-American pair made of John Isner and Sam Querrey.

  • The Athlete of the Week – Judoka Corina Cǎprioriu

    The Athlete of the Week – Judoka Corina Cǎprioriu


    The city of Samsun in Turkey played host to a Grand Prix judo competition last weekend. The Romanian delegation was made up of 12 judoka, of which seven fought in the men’s competition, while five others proved their mettle in the women’s competition.



    Romania’s Corina Caprioriu had the most satisfactory run in Samsun, as she came in 3rd in the 57 kilogram category.



    In the crucial game for the bronze medal, the vice-champion in the London Olympics secured a win against Germany’s Johanna Muller. Corina’s very good run in Turkey began with a win against Anastasia Arhipova of Belarus, then the Romanian beat Austria’s Tina Zeltner in the quarterfinals, yet she conceded defeat to Viola Waetcher of Germany, in the semifinals.



    Another Romanian judoka, Monica Ungureanu, who fought in the 48 kilogram category, was very close to stepping onto the podium. Monica narrowly missed the bronze medal, as in the decisive match she was defeated by Taciana Lima of Guinea Bissau. In the first round, Ungureanu had secured a win against Cristina Budescu, of the Republic of Moldova, in the quarterfinals defeated Brazil’s Sarah Menezes, yet in the semifinals Monica Ungureanu conceded defeat to Paula Pareto of Argentina.



    In the men’s event of the Grand Prix judo competition held in Samsun, no Romanian judoka managed to go past the second round, save for Ovidiu Natea, who competed in the 100+ kilogram category. The Romanian went straight into the second round, defeating Iranian judoka Jafar Pahlevani Ghagahargh, yet in the eighth finals Natea was overpowered by Ukraine’s Iakov Hammo. In the wake of her excellent run in Samsun, Radio Romania International has designated Corina Caprioriu the Athlete of the Week.



    Corina Caprioriu was born in the western Romania town of Lugoj on July 18, 1986. She is one of the best athletes of the present generation of Romanian judo. In Vienna in 2010, Corina Caprioriu won the European champion title, in the 57 kilogram category. At the World Championships held in Paris in 2011, she walked home with bronze. He career-best occurred in the 2012 London Olympics, where Corina won the silver medal.


  • RRI Sports Club – Handball

    RRI Sports Club – Handball

    The Swedish women’s team has won the 47th edition of the Carpati Trophy. In the finals, Sweden defeated Romania 26-17 in front of a 7-thousand-strong crowd in Cluj. Romania’s coach Tomas Ryde of Sweden wanted to play down the defeat, arguing that to him ‘it was more important to see the girls doing their best on the field’. Coach Ryde believes the results will come, provided the girls keep an optimistic outlook for the future and keep working hard. “I’m glad the fans were behind us, even if we were not at our best in the finals. This is the kind of atmosphere that should surround the national squad”, Alexandru Dedu, the head of the Romanian Handball Federation said after the game. Romania will play Serbia in the World Cup playoffs in June.



    In the bronze final, Germany outperformed the defending world champions Brazil 25-20. At the awards ceremony Paula Ungureanu was named the best Romanian player of 2014.



    In news from the domestic championship, CSM Bucharest has qualified to the Romanian Cup semi-finals after defeating HCM Ramnicu Valcea 32-26.Another three matches are scheduled today: HCM Baia Mare will take on Universitatea Alexandrion Cluj, CSU Neptun Constanta will play HC Dunarea Braila while SCM Craiova will take on CSM Cetate Deva.



    In news from men’s handball, HCM Constanta managed to hold Tvis Holstebro to a 34-all draw on home turf, as part of the last fixture of the EHF Cup Group B. The Romanian handballers missed out on the perfect chance to grab a resounding win, given that they had a 6-point lead at half time. HCM dominated the first part of the game, but Holstebro changed tactics in the second half. With only 38 seconds left on the clock, and having only 4 field players, the visiting side displayed a textbook defense and walked home with a point. Ranking first in the group tables is Team Tvis Holstebro with 10 points, followed by Fraikin BM Granollers of Spain with 7 points, HCM Constanta with 4 points and HC Sankt Petersburg with 3 points. The first two teams have advanced to the quarterfinals.



    In turn, HC Odorhei has for the first time qualified to the Challenge Cup semi-finals after brushing aside ZTR Zaporoje of Ukraine 22-20 as part of the second leg of the quarterfinals. In the first leg Odorhei had grabbed a 28-16 win in Ujgorod. In the semi-finals, HC Odorhei will take on Benfica Lisbon of Portugal.


  • The Athlete of the Week – Long-jump Athlete Florentina Marincu

    The Athlete of the Week – Long-jump Athlete Florentina Marincu

    Romania last week secured its comeback among Europe’s elite countries in terms of athletics. Following a four-year gap, Romanian athletes stepped onto the podium in the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Prague. The Romanian delegation walked home with two medals, both bronze. Winners of those medals for Romania were long-jump athlete Florentina Marincu and veteran triple jump athlete Marian Oprea.



    Florentina’s 6 meters and 79 centimeters jump also meant a new European juniors’ record. For her excellent performance Radio Romania International has designated Florentina Marincu the Athlete of the Week.



    Florentina Marincu was born on April 8, 1996. She was spotted by coach Nicolae Alexe of the Cetate Deva School Sports Club. She began her career proving her mettle in the high-and long-jump. In 2013, the Romanian athlete became World Champion in Donetsk, in the Junior 2 category’s long and triple jump events.



    In Prague, Florentina Marincu succeeded her first great performance in seniors’ competitions. In descending order, she was overpowered by Serbia’s Ivana Spanovici, who succeeded a jump of 6 metes and 98 centimeters, also setting a new national record for her country, and by Germany’s Taroum Moguenara, with a jump of 6 meters 83 centimeters, which was also the season’s best result.



    Florentina’s teammate Alina Rotaru came in fourth in Prague, with a jump of 6 meters 69 centimeters. Because of their satisfactory performance in Prague, Florentina Marincu and Alina Rotaru stand real chances to successfully represent Romania in next years’ Olympic Games in Rio.





  • Athlete of the Week –Handball player Eliza Buceschi

    Athlete of the Week –Handball player Eliza Buceschi

    The Romaian women’s handball team HCM Baia Mare this past Sunday made a crucial step forward to securing qualification for the quarterfinals of the Champions’ League. In the wake of the third leg of the League’s second main group, HCM climbed up to the 4th position, the last position which entitled the Romanians to make headway into the competition. HCM’ s notable achievement occurred as on home ground they trounced their Swedish opponents Savehof, 34-24.



    Of Slovene head coach Tone Tiselj’s lineup, stepping out of the line was Eliza Buceschi, who scored no less than 11 goals for her team. We can also say that figures have revealed that it was Buceschi who made the difference in the game against Savehof. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Eliza Buceschi the Athlete of the Week.



    Eliza was born in Baia Mare, Northern Romania, on August 1st, 1993. She is the daughter of former HCM Baia Mare head coach, Costica Buceschi, alongside whom she made her debut in top-level handball. In the 2011-2012 season, when she was close to turning 19, Eliza was one of the most efficient goal scorers in the domestic championship. In the first half of the competition season, that is until February 2012, Buceschi’s personal record included 100 goals, but afterwards, she had to undergo a surgical operation since she broke a right-hand finger bone, which made her unavailable for the rest of the season. Since 2011, Eliza Buceschi has been included in Romania’s seniors’ team. With Romania’s youth and juniors teams, Eliza participated in World and European-level competitions, where once again she was among the most efficient goal scorers. She had a shot stint with the team Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea, and after that she returned to Baia Mare. In the current Champions’ League season, Eliza Buceschi has scored 42 goals.


  • RRI Sports Club: Table tennis

    RRI Sports Club: Table tennis

    The Romanian table tennis player Elisabeta Samara has won the Qatar Open, which is a leg of the ITTF world circuit with 220,000 dollars prize money up for grabs. In Doha, Samara defeated Germany’s Ying Han in the final, 4-nil, the sets score being 11-6, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9. In the first round, Samara eased past Dora Madarasz of Hungary, 4-3. In the round of last 16, Samara sealed a 4-nil win against I-Chen Lee of Taiwan, while in the quarterfinals the Romanian clinchéd a 4-2 win against Jiadou Wu of Germany. In the semi-finals, Elisabeta Samara had no problem outperforming South Korea’s Haeun Yang, 4-1. The Romanian player’s excellent run in Doha also brought her 26,000 dollars.


    Another Romanian, Bernadette Szocs, conceded victory to Hong Kong’s Huajun Jiang in the very first round, 4-1, but Szocs braced up claiming the Under-21 title. The main draw’s fifth favourite to winning the Under-21 tournament, in the round of last 16, Bernadette Szocs sealed a 3-1 win against Yu-Chiao Hung of Taiwan, then in the quarterfinals the Romanian secured a 3-2 win against Hoi Kem Doo of Hong Kong, while in the semi-finals Szocs had no problem sealing a 3-nil win against Singapore’s Yihan Zhou.



    The final saw the Romanian taking on another challenger from Singapore, Ye Lin, whom she defeated, 3-2. Her victory in the Under-21 tournament earned Bernadette Szocs 2,000 dollars. Bernadette Szocs said right after the final that she had a good match start, but then her adversary grew accustomed to her style, she knew how she would be playing and changed the tactics. She felt she had nothing to lose, because her adversary ranked higher than her in the standings anyway, and she did her best. Agerpres also quoted Bernadette Szocs as saying that all the contenders she took on in this competition were from Asia. She screamed for every ball she played to motivate herself, but she believes that also influenced her opponents, it intimidated them.



    In the ITTF Czech Junior Open 2015, Romanian table tennis scored success a couple of times. In the cadet team challenge, Romania walked away with gold, defeating the Czech Republic in the final 3-2. In the women’s singles, Andreea Dragoman won the silver medal, and in the final she conceded victory to Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, 3-nil. In the men’s singles of the junior category, Cristian Pletea secured a 4-3 win against the Hungarian Bence Majoros in the final. In the men’s junior category, Romania walked home with bronze as in the semi-finals it conceded victory to Japan, 3-1.