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Calancea: Paris is a step towards my Olympic Gold Medal Dream

Grabbing Gold in Clean and Jerk (220 kg) and Bronze in the Total (397 kg) at the 2010 World Weightlifting Championship, Valeriu Calancea (94 kg) had to practice hard to tower his previous results in Paris. „Lia Manoliu” National Sports Centre has become his second home during the last ten years. Or better to say his real home regarding those endless weeks and months he spends here.


Valeriu is one of the first golden „implants” in Romanian sports. He comes from Moldavian Republic who changed to represent Romania in 1999 because he’s aiming for gold at the Oympics.


Next year’s Olympic Games means only one dream for him: the gold medal. “Once I want to retire with the most shiny medal hanging around my neck. This is the reason why I keep on fighting hour by hour”, Calancea explains. He already has Olympic experiences from Sydney (ranked 10th) and Athens.


“I wanted to leave my place of birth as I thought I will be given more chances in another country combined with more money to prepare for great championships. I have no regret for my decision.” Calancea added. “Two or three times a year I get home. Leaving trainings often destroys your rhythm; therefore you have to start from scratch when you return”
The curtain in Paris is going to be raised soon. “I always get nervous. It is difficult to be cold-blooded when you are fighting for a medal. Besides that, the fact that you cannot disappoint others adds to the tension”, he says. A year ago he missed his last attempt, Clean and Jerk with 226 kilos, which could have given him Gold in Overall. “This year I prepared better not to make a mistake like that…”.

Written by Dumitru Graur