Athlete of the Week on RRI – Handballer Cristina Neagu
The Romanian women’s handball club CSM Bucharest has defeated Nykobing Falster Handboldklub of Denmark 39-26 in a match counting towards Champions League Group A. In the previous match played in Denmark, the host team had won 25-22. With this win CSM has secured qualification to the next phase of the competition. The topscorers for the team from Bucharest were Cristina Neagu and Iulia Curea, each with 7 goals. CSM dominated the game, holding the lead through the game. In the other group fixture, RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana of Slovenia won 39-22 against Vistal Gdynia of Poland. With two games still to play, the Romanian champions top the Group tables with 6 points, followed by Krim Ljubljana with 6 points, Nokobing Falster Handboldklub with 4 points and Vistal with zero points. In the next game CSM will take on Krim Mercator away from home.
Steliu Lambru, 07.11.2017, 12:45
Like in all the previous games, CSM’s playmaker, Cristina Neagu, put in a solid performance, showing good leadership skills. For her remarkable performance, we have designated her Athlete of the Week on RRI.
Cristina Neagu was born in Bucharest in 1988. She plays both left wing and center. She started out at Activ Ploiesti, then played for Rulmentul Brasov, Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea, Buducnost Podgorica and starting this year for CSM Bucharest. She played the Champions League Finals in 2010 with Oltchim and won the competition in 2015 with Buducnost.
She has been captain of Romania’s national team since 2016 and has won bronze at the European Handball Championships of Denmark and Norway in 2010, as well as at the World Cup of 2015 in Brazil. At the 2010 European Championships, Cristina Neagu was the competition’s topscorer with 53 goals. In 2010 and 2015 the International Handball Federation designated Neagu Player of the Year. In 2011 and 2012, Cristina Neagu withdrew from all competitions to treat her right-shoulder. A subsequent injury in 2013 kept Neagu 6 months away from the court. (Transated by V. Palcu)
