Gymnast Alexia Blănaru
Medal for Romania at the Junior Gymnastics World Championships in the Philippines.
Florin Orban, 25.11.2025, 13:45
The Junior Gymnastics World Championships ended on Monday in Manila, the Philippines. The Romanian delegation had notable results only in the girls’ competitions, with only modest ones in the men’s competition. In the national competition, the Romanian team, made up by Alexia Blănaru, Iris Iordache and Aniela Tudor, came in 5th place. In the all-around, Alexia ranked 13th, and Aniela, 21st. The best performance of the Romanian delegation, however, was the 3rd place occupied in the vault by Alexia Blănaru, a result for which Radio Romania International designated her Athlete of the Week.
The bronze medal obtained by Alexia was only the second in the history of Romanian participation in the Junior World Championships. The competition debuted in 2019, in Győr, Hungary, and at the first edition, Romania did not win a single medal. In 2023, at the second edition, which held in Antalya, Turkey, Gabriela Vănoagă won silver on the balance beam. Now, in Manila, Romanian athletes have had four appearances in the finals. In the vault, in addition to Alexia’s 3rd place, we also recorded a 7th place, occupied by Aniela Tudor. Then, in the balance beam final, Alexia ranked seventh, and in the last act of the floor exercise, Iris Iordache was sixth.
Alexia Elena Blănaru was born in Bacău, on May 22, 2010. She took her first steps in gymnastics at SCM Bacău, under the guidance of coaches Vasilica and Corneliu Agop. At the European Youth Olympic Festival, this year in Skopje, North Macedonia, she won the silver medal in the vault competition. She is part of the national project “Country, Country, We Want Champions!”, coordinated by the renowned coaches Mariana Bitang and Octavian Bellu. She is currently training at the National Junior Olympic Center in Deva, with coach Adela Popa. (EE)
