Romania at the Olympic Games

Florin Orban, 08.07.2021, 12:43

Rower Mădălina Bereş and swimmer Robert Glinţă have been
designated the flag bearers of Romania’s team at the Olympics in Tokyo, the
Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee has announced. Mădălina Bereş was a
bronze medalist at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, world champion with Romania’s
eight and six times European champion. Glinta is the first Romanian swimmer to
win gold at the European Championships and the first athlete qualified for the
Tokyo Olympics.

The first Romanian flag bearer at the Olympic Games was
Iosif Sarbu, in Melbourne 1956. He used to be Olympic champion in the shooting
contest of the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. An illness in his right eye prompted
him to modify his gun to be able to use his left eye for shooting and went
fifth in Melbourne, a remarkable performance under the given circumstances.

However, the athlete with the largest number of
participations as Romania’s flag bearer was kayaker Aurel Vernescu. He carried
the flag for Romania three times, in Tokyo 1964, Mexico, four years later and
Munich 1972. He was designated flag bearer after he had won two world titles in
Yugoslavia in 1963.

He compelled recognition in Tokyo as well with a bronze
medal in the 500-meter individual race and with the Romanian four in the 1000-meter
event. In Munich 1972, he stepped onto the podium’s second step with the
Romanian four in the 1000-meter race.

Elisabeta Lipa became the first woman athlete to wear the
flag for Romania at the Olympic Games. She had this honour in Sydney in 2000
and Athens in 2004.

Lipa obtained her first Olympic gold in Los Angeles in 1984
together with Marioara Popescu in the double sculls event.

Four years later she got bronze with the Romanian four and
silver in the double sculls. She dominated the individual races for many years
and eventually reaped the Olympic title in Barcelona in 1992. She later joined
the famous Romanian eight with which she managed to win another three gold
medals, in Atlanta in 1996, in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.

Gymnasts from Romania have obtained the largest number of
notable performances in international competitions. And the first gymnast to
bear the Romanian flag in the Olympics was Catalina Ponor, triple Olympic
champion in Athens 2004.

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