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(Belgium) and Silken Laumann (Canada), the latter being the world champion en-titre.
In 1996, in Atlanta, our great rower competed with the crew of 8+1 oars and got the gold medal. At the next two editions of the Olympic Games, in Sydney and Athens, the 8+1 Romanian crew, including Elisabeta Lipă, were successful in defending their gold medal.
In 2000, the International Rowing Federation designated her the best rower of the 20th century.
Steaua, the queen of European football
May 7, 1986 remains the most important day in the history of Romanian football: Steaua won
the European Champions Cup! Universitatea Craiova in
the UEFA Cup and Dinamo Bucharest in the European Champions Cup were the teams that had come closest to a great performance, as a sign of what was coming next.
In the final, Steaua played against Barcelona, and that happened in Spain, in Seville. The hero of the match was Helmuth Duckadam, the goalkeeper
that was included in the World Records Book for the four consecutive penalty kicks that he defended.
Gheorghe Hagi, The King of Romanian football
Gheorghe Hagi started playing
football at the age of 10 at Farul Constanţa, the same team where he made his debut at
the age of 17, in Division A. In
his career, Hagi played both
in national and international teams, Real Madrid, Brescia, Barcelona and Galatasaray. For the national team of Romania, he played 125 times and scored 35 goals.
As a player, Hagi became famous by a number of goals that made history. He was recognised and appreciated for easily overcoming his opponents by dribbling and for his ability to find solutions in the field and to give his team the chance to win the match. He stood out through a tremendous ability to find his way in the field, to be in good playing positions, which allowed him to give a decisive pass or
to shoot from a distance, thus offering fans a hard to forget performance. Hagi was also an excellent free kicker, scoring numerous goals from fixed positions.
After withdrawing from sports, Gheorghe Hagi continued to follow his passion for football as a coach or as a club manager.
Ilie Năstase, the best Romanian tennis player
Ilie Năstase remains for Romania
a peerless tennis model, being a true professional and one of the greatest players of the 1970s.
In 1972 and 1973 he was twice world champion, 58 of his
titles being registered by the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP).
The 58 singles titles that Ilie Năstase won during his career include the US Open title in 1972 and the Roland Garros title in 1973. At doubles he won the Wimbledon tournament in 1973, the Roland Garros in 1970 and the US Open in 1975.
He won the Championship Tournament for three consecutive years (1971-1973), winning the title for the fourth time in 1975. He played for Romania Davis Cup team for 18 years, 146 singles and doubles games, winning 109. With Ion
Ţiriac he was finalist of the Davis Cup three times, in 1969, 1971 and 1972.
Tennis fans remember Năstase not only as a player, but also for his jokes on the tennis court. He had a reputation for aggressive tactics, many of them successful, which brought him the nickname ‘The Mischievous’.
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PHOTO: AGERPRES
PHOTO: AGERPRES
PHOTO: AGERPRES