Romania’s presence in the Olympic games

The sports disciplines where Romania was literally shining

Eugen Nasta, 19.07.2024, 13:45

In the 22 editions of the summer Olympic games with Romanian participation, the scintillating performance was provided by the athletes who took part in the individual sports disciplines. The games brought the Romanian delegation a mere six medals, of which four in handball, one in volley and another one in rugby.

Most medals were won by women and men gymnasts, who stepped onto s step of the podium 72 times, stepping onto the highest step of the podium 25 times. For the first time ever, Romanian gymnasts participated in the Berlin Olympics in 1936. The first medal came twenty years later, in the Olympic Games in Melbourne.

Elena Leuştean won bronze in the floor event and also bronze went to the whole team in the nations’ competition. Also in the nations’ competition, the women’s team won bronze, in Rome, in 1960.

Following a 16-year gap, in Montreal in 1976, Nadia Comaneci took the world by storm with her scintillating performance, winning the first marks of 10 in the history of gymnastics. All told, Nadia won 5 gold Olympic medals, of which three in Montreal, in the all-around, beam and uneven bars events, then two others in Moscow, in 1980, in the beam and floor events.

Ecaterina Szabo followed, with four Olympic titles she won in Los Angeles, in 1984, when she won gold in the vault, beam and floor events as well as in the nations’ competition. Three medals each were won by Daniela Silivaş, Simona Amânar and Cătălina Ponor. Silivas literally shone in Seoul, in 1988, when she won gold in the uneven bars, beam and floor events. Amânar won gold in the vault event in Atlanta in 1996, then in 2000, in Sydney, she won gold in the all-round event and tin the nations’ competition.

Catalina Ponor won her titles in Athens, in 2004, in the beam and floor events and in the nations’ competition. In the men’s version of the competition, Romania had only one Olympic champion, Marius Urzica, who won gold in Sydney in the pommel horse event.

With a significant gap as against gymnastics, in descending order we find rowing, with an overall record of 41 medals, of which 20 were gold. Save for the 1956 edition of the Olympic games, Romania participated in all the other editions, beginning with the Olympic games in Helsinki, in 1952.

The Romanian delegation as an absolute first won its medals in 1972 in Munich. Back then Petre Ceapura, Ladislau Lovrenschi and Ştefan Tudor, that is the coxed pair crew, stepped onto the third step of the podium. In Montreal, in 1976, when women’s versions of events were introduced, the Romanian crews stepped on the third step of the podium in the women’s coxed four event. Sanda Toma in women’s single sculls won gold in the Moscow Olympics in 1980. From 1984 and all through to 2004, Romanian women rowers dominated the Olympic competitions. The Romanian delegation won 17 more gold medals, of which most were won in Los Angeles, in 1984. Back then the girls won five Olympic titles, while the boys, one.

Romanian rowing’s most recent Olympic feat was the women’s double sculls gold medal won by Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş, in Tokyo, in 2021.

After rowing, according to our rankings, athletics comes next, with a record of 35 medals, then there is Kayak-canoe with 34, and wrestling, with 33 medals. Of the athletes, the only Romanian to have won two gold Olympic medals was high-jump athlete Iolanda Balas, who won her medals in Rome, in 1960, and in Tokyo, in 1964.

Of the canoeists, worth mentioning is the name of Ivan Patzaichin, with four gold and three silver medals. Pairing up with Sergey Covaliov, in Mexico, in 1968, Patzaichin won the men’s canoe double 1000m race. double canoe race. Pairing up with Toma Simionov, Patzaichin won the men’s canoe double 1000m race in Moscow, in 1980 and in Los Angeles, in 1984. In 1972, in Munich, Patzaichin won the men’s canoe single 1000m race.

Of the wrestlers, worth mentioning are Greek-Roman wrestlers Gheorghe Berceanu and Ştefan Rusu. In the 48-kilogram category, Berceanu won gold in Munich, in 1972, and silver in Montreal, in 1976. Also in Montreal, in 1976, Rusu stepped onto the second step of the podium in the 68-kilogram category. We recall that in Moscow, in 1980, Stefan Rusu won gold, also in the 68-kilogram category.