The Athlete of the Week – Judoka Corina Cǎprioriu

Romanias Corina Caprioriucame in 3rd in the 57 kilogram category at the Grand Prix in Turkey.

Florin Orban, 31.03.2015, 13:38

The city of Samsun in Turkey played host to a Grand Prix judo competition last weekend. The Romanian delegation was made up of 12 judoka, of which seven fought in the men’s competition, while five others proved their mettle in the women’s competition.

Romania’s Corina Caprioriu had the most satisfactory run in Samsun, as she came in 3rd in the 57 kilogram category.

In the crucial game for the bronze medal, the vice-champion in the London Olympics secured a win against Germany’s Johanna Muller. Corina’s very good run in Turkey began with a win against Anastasia Arhipova of Belarus, then the Romanian beat Austria’s Tina Zeltner in the quarterfinals, yet she conceded defeat to Viola Waetcher of Germany, in the semifinals.

Another Romanian judoka, Monica Ungureanu, who fought in the 48 kilogram category, was very close to stepping onto the podium. Monica narrowly missed the bronze medal, as in the decisive match she was defeated by Taciana Lima of Guinea Bissau. In the first round, Ungureanu had secured a win against Cristina Budescu, of the Republic of Moldova, in the quarterfinals defeated Brazil’s Sarah Menezes, yet in the semifinals Monica Ungureanu conceded defeat to Paula Pareto of Argentina.

In the men’s event of the Grand Prix judo competition held in Samsun, no Romanian judoka managed to go past the second round, save for Ovidiu Natea, who competed in the 100+ kilogram category. The Romanian went straight into the second round, defeating Iranian judoka Jafar Pahlevani Ghagahargh, yet in the eighth finals Natea was overpowered by Ukraine’s Iakov Hammo. In the wake of her excellent run in Samsun, Radio Romania International has designated Corina Caprioriu the Athlete of the Week.

Corina Caprioriu was born in the western Romania town of Lugoj on July 18, 1986. She is one of the best athletes of the present generation of Romanian judo. In Vienna in 2010, Corina Caprioriu won the European champion title, in the 57 kilogram category. At the World Championships held in Paris in 2011, she walked home with bronze. He career-best occurred in the 2012 London Olympics, where Corina won the silver medal.