The first world climbing medal for Romania, the silver one, was obtained in the U20 category by Darius Râpă, an athlete registered at CSU Ştiinţa Politehnica Bucharest, and marks a historic moment for this sports discipline in our country.
Darius Râpă, monastic vice-champion in climbing. Facebook photo
In the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Junior World Championship, held in Guiyang, China, Romania registered a first by winning the second place in the U20 category, respectively the silver medal. The event was described by the Politehnica University of Bucharest (UPB) as “a historic moment for our sport”.
Thus, according to a statement sent to Agerpres on Saturday, “this is the first world medal obtained by Romania in this discipline, marking a historic moment for our sport”.
Darius Râpă, now 18 years old, has been practicing this sport since he was 6 years old, and his recent performance gives him hope that he will achieve his goal (his personal, but also that of the club to which he is registered), that of get a medal at the 2028 Olympics.
“I wanted this medal so much, for years I felt that I was so close and at the same time so far from it. I’m glad it came at the right time. It is my greatest achievement”said Darius Râpa for Gazeta Sporturilor.
“The development plan, together with CSU Ştiința Politehnica Bucharest, aims to obtain a medal at the 2008 Olympics. Until the Olympics, Darius will focus his daily sports efforts on further developing his strengths, namely speed and strength. We are focused on every stage in the process, every local, national and international competition”,
it is stated in the UPB press release.
The athlete enjoyed success at the world championship in China. Photo Facebook/ANS
In the same sports discipline, Călin Enache, a student at the Politehnica University of Bucharest, took 37th place at the IFSC European Championship in Villars. He participated in competition simulations with teams from Austria and Germany, accumulating experience for future competitions.
“In the medium term, our club is focused on preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games, given that our discipline is gaining more and more international recognition. We aim to qualify as many athletes as possible for this important event, proudly representing Romania’s colors and our sporting aspirations. The outstanding IFSC World Junior Championship results and development plans underline not only the individual talent and dedication of our athletes, but also the effectiveness of our training program and the ongoing support provided by the club. We are proud of the efforts of everyone involved – coaches, athletes and supporters – and we are preparing intensively to celebrate more successes on the international stage”, said Victor Dragoi, coach and manager of the climbing and mountaineering section at CSU Ştiinţa Politehnica Bucharest.
