Retired rowing legend Lipa says Romania currently has best U23 rowers in Europe

Chair of the Romanian Rowing Federation Elisabeta Lipa says that Romania has the best young rowers in all Europe, after successful performances on Sunday at the European Rowing U23 Championships in Greece. 

"We have the best young rowers in Europe, and the success at these European Championships is historic. Nine gold medals and 12 in all say a lot about the value of the young rowers that we have managed to train in recent years. Their performance it is all the more commendable as it comes only a week after the 2019 World Rowing Championship in Linz, which was extremely difficult, because the qualifications for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were decided there," Lipa said, according to a press statement released on Monday. 

"In Linz, we achieved the goal of qualifying small boats and we already have crews qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. In Greece, we exceeded our performance of last year, when we won 8 gold medals and had two crews in 4th place. Now we have 9 gold medals and 12 in all. I would like to congratulate the athletes, coaches and the entire technical team that contributed to this exceptional result for the Romanian rowing. With this championship we end the 2019 international competition season in the senior and youth categories, and I think it was an exceptional one," said Lipa. 

Romania won nine gold medals at the European Rowing U23 Championships in Ioannina (Greece) in the following events: Women's Coxed Four (BW4+) (Irina Acsinte, Geanina Juncanariu, Andreea Popa, Simona Tataru, Stefania Petreanu) and Men's Coxed Four (BM4+) Alexandru Chioseaua, Laurentiu Danciu, Alexandru Matinca, Ciprian Huc, Adrian Munteanu); Men's Pair (BM2-) (Alexandru Ciobica, Florin Lehaci); Men's Four (BM4-) (Mihaita Tiganescu, Vasile Semciuc, Constantin Berariu, Cosmin Pascari); Women's Quadruple Sculls (BW4x) (Tabita Maftei, Elena Larisa Rosu, Elena Logofatu, Nicoleta Pascanu); Women's Four (BW4-) (Madalina Casu, Amalia Beres, Maria-Magdalena Rusu, Roxana-Iuliana Anghel); Women's Double Sculls (BW2x) (Ancuta Bodnar, Simona Radis); Men's Eight (BM8+) (Bogdan Baitoc, Ciprian Tudosa, Florin Ceobanu, Marian Cireasa, Andrei Lungu, Denis Nichitean, Andrei-Alexandru Tanasa, Cristi Hirgau, Adrian Munteanu); Women's Eight (BW8+) (Madalina Heghes, Roxana Parascanu, Ioana Budeanu, Amalia Beres, Madalina Casu, Raluca Dinulescu, Magdalena Rusu, Iuliana Anghel, Stefania Petreanu). 

The silver medal went to Bogdan Horodisteanu, Sebastian Cornea, Constantin Cirstea and Ionut Cojocaru in Men's Quadruple Sculls (BM4X), and the bronze medals to Adriana Alinicai and Maria Tivodariu in the Women's Pair (BW2-) event and Alina-Maria Baletchi in the Women's Single Sculls (BW1x) event.