The Romanian athletes who won medals in the rowing events at the Paris Olympic Games were honoured on Sunday at an event organized at the Romanian House in the French capital.
Romanian rowing won five medals at the 2024 Olympics, two gold and three silver.
„We won silver (in double sculls), but we consider it to be gold, because the work done here does not even compare to what it has been until now. It is very precious for us, but after this medal came another gold. These are two very important medals, medals that show that the future is a bright one,” Radis said.
Rower Ancuta Bodnar was happy to have ended a very difficult year with two medals around her neck: „I had a very difficult year and I am very happy that I ended it so beautifully. For me, this edition is very special and I can only be grateful for everything.”
Olympic champion Marian Florian Enache said that the gold medal won represents the Olympic spirit for him.
„Thank you for being with us, we want to tell you that this crew that has not necessarily been built for a very long time and that may have given you emotions has a pretty beautiful story after the semifinal. We are glad that we managed to make you happy and that we managed to bring home the Olympic gold for the first time in this event,” his colleague in the men’s double rowing boat, Andrei Cornea, said.
Roxana Anghel, from the women’s double sculls, silver medalist, said that she is living a dream at the 2024 Olympics: „For us it is still a dream that we managed to bring this medal. I left confident and finished very happy at the end.”
Flag bearer of Romania with her husband Marius, Ionela Cozmiuc said that through the silver medal in the women’s double sculls – lightweight category, she has a complete record.
Gianina van Groningen was happy that she managed to win a medal after a short period of time in which she had withdrawn from the competition.
The helmswoman of the women’s 8+1, Victoria Petreanu, promised that this Romanian crew will have a lot to say in the near future: „Yes, Victoria brings victory! Thank you girls for trusting me and I hope you will stay with us, because we have wonderful things to do.”
„Indeed, we are the four who did not succeed in the small boat, we felt like we had a fly on our toes, but we were very motivated for this test. There was no pressure on us. No one expects it. I’m glad to have been part of this generation that rewrote history,” said Adriana Adam, from the 8+1 boat, but also from the four-stroke boat.
Her colleague Amalia Beres was delighted to have contributed to the gold medal won again by Romania after a 20-year break: „I am happy to have brought home the Olympic gold after 20 years in the 8+1 event”.
Maria Lehaci also wanted to thank her former colleagues who were part of the 8+1 boat, gold medalist in Paris.
Magda Rusu said that the 8+1 boat she is part of is the heart and soul of Romanian rowing.
Romania has a 7-medal record at the Paris Games: three gold, three silver and one bronze. Gold was won by swimmer David Popovici in the 200-meter freestyle, rowers Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache in the men’s double sculls and the women’s eight-plus-one crew (Maria Magdalena Rusu, Roxana Anghel, Ancuta Bodnar, Maria Lehaci, Adriana Adam, Amalia Beres, Ioana Vrinceanu, Simona Radis, Victoria Stefania Petreanu), silver was won by Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis in women’s double sculls, by Ioana Vrinceanu and Roxana Anghel in the women’s double sculls and by Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc in the women’s double sculls – lightweight category, while the bronze was won by David Popovici in the 100 meters freestyle.
AGERPRES
