RRI Sports club
Weightlifting
Florin Orban, 23.10.2019, 13:45
Romanian capital city Bucharest these days plays host to the European Junior and U-23 Weightlifting Championships. In the 2018 edition, held in the Polish town of Zamosc, the Romanian delegation walked home with 20 medals, of which 8 were gold, 4 silver and 8 bronze. In 2019, the 31-strong Romanian delegation competes in the U-20 category, with 12 girls and 11 men. In the U-23 version of the aforementioned championships, included in the Romanian delegation were 8 weightlifters, of which 4 compete in the men’s version and another 4 in the women’s version of the championships.
For the 2019 edition of the European Championships, Romania’ set target was to win at least five medals, which is a qualification prerequisite ahead of the 2020 edition of the Olympic Games in Japan. So far, the Romanian delegation’s medal record already includes 24 medals, of which 4 were gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze.
Among the gold medalists there was junior Bianca Dumitrescu, who competed in the 45-kilogram category and who won gold in the very first day of the competition. Dumitrescu compelled recognition in the clean-and-jerk style with 84 kilograms and with 152 kilograms overall. In the snatch style, Bianca Dumitrescu walked away with silver, lifting 68 kilograms.
It was the junior version of the European Championships that provided the next gold medalist, since in the 59-kilogram category Andreea Penciu came in first in the snatch event, lifting 88 kilograms. In the clean and jerk style, Penciu came in 4th, with 100 kilograms. Andreea had two failed attempts for 103 kilograms. Overall, Andreea Penciu won bronze, with 188 kilograms.
In the U-23 version of the championships, Bianca Molie won one gold medal and two silver medals, in the 64-kilogram category. Molie was at the top in the snatch style, lifting 90 kilograms, yet she was the runner-up weightlifter in the clean and jerk style with 111 kilograms. So overall, Bianca stepped onto the second step of the podium, with 201 kilograms. Unfortunately, Bianca Molie sustained a shoulder injury and she needs to make sure she recovers fast, if she wants to participate in the 2020 edition of the Olympics. We recall that at the European Seniors’ championships held in Batumi in April 2019, Bianca walked away with the bronze medal.
( Traanlsated by Eugen Nasta)
