Athlete of the Week on RRI – Fencer Simona Gherman
Simona Gherman won two medals at the European Championships last week.
Florin Orban, 17.06.2014, 13:10
The European Fencing Championships came to a close in Strasbourg, France last week. The Romanian delegation walked home with two medals, both in the women’s epee competition. In the team event, Romania won gold, while Simona Gherman grabbed bronze in the singles competition. For her remarkable achievement, we have designated Simona Gherman Athlete of the Week on RRI.
In the women’s epee event, Simona brushed aside Ekaterina Davidzon of Israel 15-5 in the first round. In the second round she grabbed a 9-8 win over her colleague Ana-Maria Branza, the defending European champion. Then in the round of 16 she knocked out Monika Sozanska of Germany. In the quarterfinals Gherman took on the Olympic vice-champion Yana Shemyakina of Ukraine and obtained a narrow victory, 15-14. In the semifinals however Gherman admitted defeat to Marie Florence Candassamy of France, 15-9.
In the team event, Romania’s team, made up of Ana-Maria Branza, Simona Pop, Maria Udrea and Simona Gherman edged out Italy 29-24 in the semifinals. They faced Russia in the final, a game dominated by the Russian fencers. In the last bound, Simona Gherman evened the score and eventually brought victory to Romania.
Simona was born in Bucharest on April 12, 1985. She became a junior world champion with Romania’s team at the World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, alongside Loredana Iordachioiu and Ana-Maria Branza. In the seniors’ competitions she has two World titles in 2010 in Paris and 2011 in Catania. With Romania’s team she has three European gold medals, in 2008 in Kiev, in 2009 in Plovdiv and in 2011 in Sheffield. In 2012 she won gold at the European Championships in Legnano, Italy.
After the 2012 London Olympics Simona Gherman took a break from fencing to devote some time to her family. In December 2013 she gave birth to a little girl. She subsequently resumed her professional career and in May she defeated Ana-Maria Branza in the final match of the Romanian Fencing Championship.
