Sports Weekend

The World Athletics Championships kick off this weekend in Eugene, Oregon, USA. The competition will span the entire week, to end on July 24. Romania's delegation comprises 8 athletes, 4 women and 4 men. Bianca Ghelber will compete in hammer throw, an event in which she came out 6th at the Tokyo Olympics. Alexandru Novac, another Tokyo Olympics finalist, is also expected to get good results in the javelin throw competition. The other Romanian participants are Daniela Stanciu  in the high jump, Ana Veronica Rodean and Mihaela Acatrinei in the 20km race walk, Andrei Rareş Toader in shot put, Alin Alexandru Firfirica in discus throw and Marius Iulian Cocioran in the 35km race walk.

Romania's delegation in the World Fencing Championships in Cairo, which also begin this weekend, is made up of 18 athletes, 12 women and 6 men, who target a place among the top 4-6 nations. Romania has complete teams in the men's and women's sabre events, and in the women's foil and epee events, plus 2 athletes in the men's epee individual event. The men's sabre team, which ranked 5th in the European Championships hosted by Antalya, Turkey this June, has the best chances to meet the goal set by the Romanian Fencing Federation for the Cairo Championships. Sabreurs Răzvan Ursachi and Iulian Teodosiu also stand good chances, after ranking 5th and 6th in the European individual competition in Antalya. In the latest World Championships, held in 2019 in Budapest, Romania's Bianca Pascu won the gold in the women's individual sabre event. The most recent world titles for Romania were won by the women's epee team in 2010 and 2011, and the men's sabre team in 2009.

We end today's sports segment with news from football. This weekend sees the start of a new season of the Romanian top football league, which as of this year will be called "Superleague." On Friday, FC Hermannstadt take on CS Mioveni and Universitatea Craiova play Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. On Saturday, FC Argeș play on home turf against UTA Arad, while CFR Cluj take on Rapid București. On Sunday, Farul Constanța play against FC U Craiova, and FCSB against Universitatea Cluj. The last 2 matches in this first leg are scheduled for Monday, pitting FC Botoșani against Chindia Târgoviște and Petrolul Ploiești against FC Voluntari. (AMP)