Radio Romania International Sports club

Kayak rower Vasile Diba

Radio România Internațional, 20.02.2025, 13:45

Many-time world and Olympic medalist, veteran kayak rower Vasile Diba died on February 20, 2024. The first Romanian Olympic kayak champion was born on July 24, 1954, in the Tulcea County locality of Jurilovca, in the east.

Diba made his debut in rowing with the Delta Tulcea sports club in 1970, under the supervision of one of Romania’s greatest coaches, Igor Lipalit. In 1971, Vasile Dina succeeded his first great performance winning the national juniors’ title in men’s canoe sprint kayak single 500m race. Also in 1971, on the Snagov Lake in Romania, Diba became European juniors’ vice-champion in men’s kayak double.

In 1973, being drafted for the military service in the structures of the Internal Affairs Ministry, Vasile Dîba was signed up by Dinamo Bucharest sports club. In 1977, Diba wins his first world titles in a seniors’ competition in Mexico’s Xochimilco. Diba won the title in men’s canoe sprint kayak single 500m race. Also, he was part of the team that won kayak 4x500m relay race.

Vasile Diba’s career continued, until the end, with Dinamo Bucharest Sports Club. In 1976, as part of the Olympic Games in Montreal, Diba won the gold medal in men’s canoe sprint kayak single 500m race and the bronze medal in the 1,000m race. Also in the 500m and 1,000m races, in 1977 Vasile Diba won the world title in Sofia. In 1978, he retained his title in the 500m race at the World Championships in former Yugoslavia.

In Moscow in 1980, Vasile Diba participated in the Olympics for the second time around in his career. Back then he won bronze in men’s canoe sprint kayak single 500m race and silver with men’s kayak four crew. Vasile Diba also took the start in the Los Angeles Olympics, in 1984, but he was unable to step onto a step of the podium.

Vasile Dîba retired from competition in 1987. His record until them had been a scintillating one,so Diba is one of Romania’s greatest kayak rowers of all time. After he retired from competition, Diba opted for quitting the world of sports altogether, joining the Internal Affairs Ministry enforcement structures. He worked in the ministry’s Judiciary section in a Bucharest-based police station until 2001, when he retired.