Athlete of the week

Rower Catalin Chirila

România Internațional, 09.08.2022, 13:45

The ICF 2022 Canoe Sprint World Championships were
held in Halifax, Canada, last week. The
competition lived up to everyone’s expectations in every respect; nautical
sports lovers had the chance the watch, live or via video transmissions, the
best of the best in terms of rowing. In Canada, a 6-strong Romanian delegation proved
its mettle in the competition, with three athletes competing in the kayak and three
others in the canoe races. The gender balance also worked, as two women and one
man competed in the kayak races, while two men and one woman took the start in
the canoe events. The differences lay in the clubs rowers are signed up by: three
of them compete for CSA Steaua, two for CS Dinamo, while one woman rower is
signed up by Olimpia Bucharest. The Romanian Kayak-Canoe Federation’s set
target was the earning of a position among places 4 to 6, and another position,
among places 6 to 9, so the eventual aim was the qualification to two separate
finals. The set target was met from the very first days of competition, when Catalin
Chirila advanced to the 500 and 1000m men’s canoe final. Chirila succeeded a
straight qualification, each time winning the heat he competed in. In the final, Catalin Chirila
provided a stunning surprise: he became world champion in the
1000m Olympic race and won silver in the 500m race. Reason enough for Radio
Romania International to designate Catalin Chirila the Athlete of the week.

Cătălin Chirilă was
born in Tulcea, on 11 May 11, 1998. He is signed up by the Steaua Bucharest
Army Sports Club. His coaches are Petre Kondrat, who works for the army club
and Florin Popescu, of the national team. Catalin Chirila’s first international
performance occurred in the men’s canoe double, when, jointly with veteran
rower Victor Mihalachi, Chirila won gold in 2019, in the European Games in Minsk, Belarus, in the 1000m race. Then in 2021, in the European Championships in Poland’s
Poznan, Chirila won bronze in the 1000m race. In the Tokyo Olympics’, the Chirila/Mihalachi
pair came in 5th. As of 2022, Catalin Chirila competes in men’s
singles events. At the World Cup stages in Racice and Poznan, Catalin Chirila’s
results were promising. The Romanian confirmed his excellent performance so far in his most recent notable run in
Halifax.(EN)