RRI Sports Club
Florin Orban, 13.10.2021, 11:18
2021 was a difficult
year for sports, with athletes having to train and take part in competitions under
pandemic conditions. Athletes and coaches often had to self-isolate so as not to
expose themselves and others to the risk of infection. The Tokyo Olympic Games
were held without spectators, but this didn’t mean we didn’t see truly exceptional
performances, with new recors being broked and new stars being born.
Speaking about
Romanian sports, it must be said that the Tokyo Games confirmed the value of the
Romanian school of rowing. Three of the country’s four Olympic medals came from
rowing: one gold, in women’s double sculls, thanks to Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona
Radiş, and two silver, in men’s pair and men’s four. Romania’s fourth medal came
from fencer Ana-Maria Popescu, who won the silver in the women’s epee individual
event. In total, Romanian rowers won 30 medals at major competitions in 2021. To
the medals won at the Olympic Games, they added six medals at European championships,
including two gold and four silver. In youth and junior rowing competitions,
Romania won 16 medals, of which 10 gold and 6 silver. Five other medals, of which
three gold and two bronze, came from the youth and junior world championships. This
was one of the best years of the Romanian Rowing Federation judging by
international results. The merit belongs to the rowers themselves, as well as
to the Federation management, who provided the necessary resources to foster achievement.
As for
future plans, Olympic champion and current president of the Romanian Rowing
Federation Elisabeta Lipă recently wrote on Facebook: The Paris Olympic Games
are 34 months away, and after almost three months of well-deserved holiday,
rowers must begin training again. They must benefit from constant support, and
we demonstrated that we can get results through sustained work! We all want
medals from the Paris Games, but decision-makers must do their best to ensure
that rowers can continue to train in the coming period. (CM)
