78 years of
Weightlifting in
The Romanian Weightlifting Federation is the possessor of a great record, with over 500 medals, which represents the result of thousands of hours of training in Romanian sportsmen who were dedicated to high performance.
From the organization in Romania of the first lifting of loads contest, which took place in 1896, at "Gheorghe Lazar" High-school in Bucharest, passed more than a century but the official business of the weight lifting sport, in our country, began in 1930. The first national championship of weightlifting has been held in Bucharest in 1934 and the second in 1937 in Timisoara, when the weightlifter Pavel Gospodinov from Galati was remarked. The following year, the national ch 656s1824g ampionship of weight lifting was about to demonstrate, by the large number of participants, that weightlifting was spreaded throughout the country. Every year, in modern acceptance of today's terminology, the weightlifting sport climbed the stairs of definition and performance, and this year the Romanian Federation commemorates 78 years from its establishment, from the moment that the Romanian Federation of Wrestling and Weightlifting was created, in 1930 at Oradea.
After the Second World War, in the year 1946, the weightlifting sport was resumed and, since 1947, the national championships took place annually. Socrate Temelie, the first romanian weightlifter, who in 1910 lifted 168 kilos, is considered to be the first off-the-record national champion of Romania, being known and surnamed in Germany as "a miracle of the Balkans". Given the increased interest to practice this sport, in the year 1950 was organized the first training course for coaches.
The first notable results of romanian weightlifters, worldwide, are obtained at the European Championship in 1956, in Helsinki, where Ion Birau took the IV place, at total. The romanian weightlifters' results worldwide will be increasingly better and, in 1972, Romania's capital was going to be host for the European Weightlifting Championship for Seniors. In 2009, Romania returned the honor to organize two large competitions, the European Championship for Seniors and the World Championship for Juniors, important moments for knowledge and recognition of the value of this sport in our country and in the world.
Starting with the Olympic Games in Helsinki, our weightlifters were noted in the world of Olympic competitions. The first Romanian Olympic victory, was obtained by Lazar Baroga which held a deserved place V, at the Olympics in Tokyo. Baroga who is, in fact, the first romanian weightlifter with a medal at a European championship, will become later, a notable personality for the weightlifting sport on both domestic and international plans, for two decades, general secretary of the Romanian Weightlifting Federation, State founder and vicepresident of the European Weightlifting Federation and president of the Technical Commission of International Weightlifting Federation.
The most valuable Romanian participation in the Olympics is from Los Angeles in 1984. The weightlifters have contributed to Romania's ranking among the first countries participating with a total of 43 points to our delegation, in the unofficial ranking of nations. From the ten weightlifters who entered the contest, 8 of them have won 2 gold medals, 5 silver and one bronze. Nicu Vlad, the most valuable of the romanian weightlifters, not only won the gold medal, but broke down three Olympic records in snatch, thrown and in total. Thus, in the nations standings, at weightlifting, Romania was situated on the I place, leaving behind countries with ancient traditions in this branch of sport, such as: The United States, Japan, RP Chinese, Germany, Canada or Great Britain.
During this period of 78 years the Romanian weightlifters have made themselves remarked by their performances at World and European Championships, Olympic Games, other major international competitions, many of the performers winning a wellworth prestige in the arena of wide-spreading competitions.
Nicu Vlad is the incontestable leader of the Romanian Weightlifting. Along his evolution as a junior and senior, has competed in several categories, 90 kg, 100 kg and 108 kg, achieving performances of world-wide importance. He was the national junior champion in 1981, 1982 and 1983 and senior, between 1983 and 1990, was also Balkan champion, conquered, besides the gold medal at Los Angeles, and a silver medal at the Olympic Games from Seoul, 1988; took place IV, Olympic Games in 1992, Barcelona, and at the Olympic Games in 1996, from Atlanta, won a bronze medal. In his honours list, unmatched in the history of Romanian weightlifting, there are included three national champion titles in 1984, 1986 and 1990 and the recordman title for snatching style in 1986. In these "Top" competitions during 1985 - 1989, he won 17 medals (11 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze). At European Championships he won 17 medals (9 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze), in total or in snatch style. He was, too, recordman and champion of the Commonwealth, from 1993 to 1994. Since 1997 and until now, he is the president of the Romanian Weightlifting Federation and national coach of weight lifting batch and, since 2004, he is the vicepresident of the Romanian Olympic and Sports. Also, he is a member of the EC's European Weightlifting Federation and member of the Technical Committee of the International Weightlifting Federation.
The list of great performers of romanian weightlifting is rich. Here are some personalities: Petre Becheru, the sportsman who won a gold medal at the Olympic Games from Los Angeles to the total of the two styles, and who is 4 times world champion and Balkan; Pavel Gospodinov and Gica Gospodinov, honoured coaches, exceptional mentors for many national champions, European, world and olympic; Stefan Achim, merited coach, with an important contribution in the development of weightlifting and in the theory of sportive training methods in this discipline; Ilie Dociu Enciu, the first romanian weightlifter who was given the title of "Master of Sports"; Gelu Radu, Olympic vicechampion, the holder of 5 medals obtained in World Championships, 2 silver and 3 bronze; Virgil Donciu Enciu, 12 national records, World and European vicechampion; Vasile Groapa, Olympic vicechampion, won a bronze medal at World and European Championships. From the gallery of great performers are also: Stefan Petrescu, Stefan Tasnadi, Adrian Socaci, Atila Czanka, Andrei Ciharean, Adrian Jigau, Valeriu Calancea, Marioara Munteanu, Roxana Cocos, weightlifters who contributed, with their won medals at the Romanian sports glory. Alexandru Siperco, former president of the Romanian Weightlifting Federation, was the first romanian, member of the International Olympic Committee, with important functions and responsibilities in this Olympic Forum.
The Presidents, Alexandru Siperco, Nicu Alexie, Ionel Dobre and Nicu Vlad and also the General Secretaries of the FEH, Stefan Petrescu, Stefan Achim, Lazar Baroga and Gheorghe Diaconu, devoted personalities of weightlifting and good administrators have contributed with their sustained activity to the development of weightlifting sport in Romania.
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