Romania emerged victorious in the Under 19 Girls event at the ORLEN European Youth Championships reclaiming their title after a one-year break. The final saw Romania triumph over Germany. The Romanian team comprising Elena ZAHARIA Ioana SINGEORZAN Bianca MEI ROSU Evelyn UNGVARI and Adela STRUNA proved their exceptional skills. Meanwhile the silver medal went to a strong German team represented by Mia GRIESEL Lea LACHENMAYER Naomi PRANJKOVIC Eireen KALAITZIDOU and Melanie MERK.
Securing the bronze medal were France with Clea DE STOPPELEIRE Elise PUJOL Agathe AVEZOU and Lea MINNI and Poland represented by Zuzanna WIELGOS Wiktoria WROBEL Anna BRZYSKA Natalia BOGDANOWICZ and Ilona SZTWIERTNIA.
In the final we saw Romania’s resilience as they fought back from a 0-2 deficit to claim victory. Elena ZAHARIA expressed her joy and pride in the team’s accomplishment stating
“Our dream has come true. We came here determined to reclaim our title and we did it. I am incredibly happy and proud of my team. Despite being two matches down all three of us won crucial points. It was exceptional teamwork. Bianca MEI ROSU turned the tide of the match and Ioana SINGEORZAN delivered an outstanding performance in the decisive match.”
Bianca MEI ROSU faced a challenging moment when she joined the game at 0-2. However her belief in the team’s abilities and the effective tactics set by the coach propelled them to victory.
“I had faith in this team and I believed we could still win. I fought hard and with our coach’s guidance we succeeded ” said MEI ROSU.
Ioana SINGEORZAN demonstrated her maturity and composure as she overcame Lea LACHENMAYER’s defensive skills. Reflecting on her mindset during the game SINGEORZAN said
“I focused on executing the coach’s instructions and remained fully engaged. I didn’t dwell on the result or the magnitude of the final. My goal was to stay patient and determined against my opponent’s defensive strategy.”
In their journey to the gold medal Romania overcame tough challenges from France Slovakia and Italy in the main draw.
While the Soviet Union holds the record with 15 titles in this category Romania’s impressive record includes 13 titles (1956 1958 1959 1987 1994 2009 2010 2012 2013 2015 2016 2021) and 10 finals lost (1986 1988 1990 1996 2002 2005 2007 2011 2017 2022). Germany with 3 titles (2000 2003 2019) and 5 additional finals (1991 2008 2010 2013 2014) also holds a notable record in the category.
Final
Germany – Romania 2-3
Mia GRIESEL – Ioana SINGEORZAN 3-1 (11-5 9-11 11-7 13-11)
Lea LACHENMAYER – Elena ZAHARIA 3-2 (5-11 11-9 13-15 19-17 11-4)
Naomi PRANJKOVIC – Bianca MEI ROSU 1-3 (11-9 4-11 3-11 8-11)
Mia GRIESEL – Elena ZAHARIA 0-3 (9-11 7-11 8-11)
Lea LACHENMAYER – Ioana SINGEORZAN 1-3 (11-13 3-11 13-11 10-12)
