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| Romanian Gold-medallist Rowers Announce Comeback 23/02/2011 |
| (2011-02-23) |
| Last updated: 2011-02-24 15:11 EET |
Over the last decades, rowing has been among the most rewarding Olympic competitions for Romania. Ever since the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, there hasn’t been a single edition without the Romanian rowers bringing home at least one gold medal. The all-time record was pinned down in Los Angeles at the 1984 summer Olympics, when Romanian rowers climbed onto the highest step of the podium no less than 6 times.
It must be said, however, that Romanian rowers achieved this outstanding performance against the backdrop of a boycott set up by countries from the Eastern Soviet Bloc. Even in the years to follow, when the games were no longer boycotted, our rowers broke one record after another.
Romania continued to spearhead world rowing, claiming two or three gold medals at every edition. Beijing 2008 was the first time Romania registered only one win, when Viorica Susanu and Georgeta Damian Andrunache prevailed in the women’s coxless pair event.
After Beijing, the two rowers announced their retirement from competitive rowing. Both rowers were over 30 and had serious physical problems after a life-long career at the highest level.
They took part in the 2008 European Rowing Championships in Greece, where they won gold medals in the coxless pair and eight events. Then they stepped down to join their fellow colleagues from the golden rowing generation.
Ever since, Romania’s performances in top-level competitions have been below par. Whether in the 2009 and 2010 European championships our girls dominated the coxless pair and eight events, in the 2009 world championships Romania got silver medals in both events, whereas they were only third-placed in the eight finals in 2010.
Under these circumstances, expectations dropped dramatically with respect to the impending London Olympics. And there came the surprise announcement. Within months of this year’s world championships in Slovenia, which will be a criterion for qualifying in the Olympics, several veterans have announced their return to the national rowing team.
Viorica Susanu, Georgeta Damian Andrunache, Aurica Barascu, Rodica Serban and Ioana Rotaru might seriously contribute to bringing Romanian rowing back to the top. According to the President of the Romanian Rowing Federation, several-time World and Olympic champion Elisabeta Lipa, our veteran rowers will train separately, while their progress thus far will be measured up in this year’s competitions.
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