Romanian Female Sportspersons

Simona Halep is a Romanian tennis player. With 22 WTA singles titles and two Grand Slam singles titles under her belt, Simona Halep is one of the most successful Romanian female tennis players of all time. She is also widely considered one of the WTA Tour's best returners of the current generation.

Nadia Comaneci is a Romanian former gymnast. One of the best-known gymnasts in the world, Comaneci has five Olympic gold medals under her belt. Credited with popularizing gymnastics around the world, Nadia Comaneci was honored by the Laureus World Sports Academy by including her in their Athletes of the 20th Century list in 2000.

Márta Károlyi is a Hungarian-born Romanian-American gymnastics coach. She was the former national team coordinator for USA Gymnastics. Her husband, Bela, is also a prominent gymnastics coach, and between them, the couple has trained nine Olympic champions, fifteen world champions, sixteen European medalists, and many US national champions. She retired from coaching in 2016. 

Aurelia Dobre is a Romanian former artistic gymnast who won three gold medals at the 24th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in 1987. In the same World Championships, she won two bronze medals. In 1988, she helped her team win the silver medal at the Summer Olympics. In 2016, she was made an inductee of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Simona Amânar is a Romanian retired artistic gymnast. A ten-time World Championship, 12-time European Championship, and seven-time Olympic medalist, Amânar also helped her country win four successive world team titles between 1994 and 1999. In 2007, Simona Amânar was made an inductee of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Romanian artistic gymnast Lavinia Milosovici, also known as Milo, is not just a 2-time Olympic gold medalist but also a 5-time World Champion. She scripted history as the last person to achieve an Olympic perfect 10 and also has 4 European Championship gold medals in her kitty.

Daniela Silivaș is a Romanian former artistic gymnast. She is best known for winning six medals (three gold, two silver, and one bronze) at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. She also earned six individual World Championships titles in her five-year tenure as a Romanian senior national team member. She became a coach after retiring in 1991. 

Ecaterina Szabo is a Romanian former artistic gymnast who won four gold medals and a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She also represented her country at the World Championships and European Championships, winning 10 medals and five medals respectively. In 2000, Ecaterina Szabo was made an inductee of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Three-time Olympian Romanian former artistic gymnast Cătălina Ponor has 5 Olympic medals in her kitty, including 3 golds. He has also won a World Cup gold and 8 European Championship gold medals. The sports star started training at age 4 and was scouted by the national selectors during a nationwide talent search.

Sorana Cirstea is a Romanian tennis player who reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open, which remains her best Grand Slam singles result so far. An aggressive baseliner, Cirstea has also represented her country at important tournaments like the Olympics and the Fed Cup.

Romanian former professional tennis player Mariana Simionescu was winner of the French Junior Championships in 1974, the year she turned pro. In 1977, she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, marking her best Grand Slam performance. The following year, she attained a career-high singles ranking of world no. 36. Her career titles include one in singles and one in doubles.  

Gina Gogean is a former artistic gymnast best known for winning silver medals at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. She also won three bronze medals at the 1996 Games. A nine-time world champion and five-time European champion, Gogean has been a regular gymnastics judge since 2001. In 2013, she was made an inductee of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Retired Romanian artistic gymnast Larisa Iordache was touted as The New Nadia when she was just 12. The 2-time Olympian has an Olympic bronze in her kitty, apart from 7 European Championship and 12 World Cup gold medals, and numerous other awards. She excelled in beam and floor exercises.

Romanian tennis player Mihaela Buzarnescu has had a career-high ranking of 20 in singles. In 2022, she was affected by Wimbledon's strict dress-code when she had to change her black bra due to the code allowing only white attire and lingerie. The tennis star also boasts of a PhD in sports science.

Virginia Ruzici is a Romanian retired tennis player best known for winning the French Open singles title in 1978. In the same year, she also won the French Open doubles title along with Mima Jaušovec. Virginia Ruzici also represented her country in important tournaments like the Fed Cup. 

Irina-Camelia Begu is a Romanian tennis player who has represented her country at important tournaments like the Fed Cup and Olympic Games. She also competes in Grand Slam events, reaching the semifinals of the 2018 Australian Open and the 2021 French Open in women's doubles events.

Cristina Neagu is a Romanian handball player who plays for the Romanian women's national team. She was part of the team that won the bronze medal at the 2010 European Championship and the 2015 World Championship. Considered the greatest player of all time, Cristina Neagu is the only female handball player to win four World Player of the Year awards.

Ana Bogdan is a Romanian tennis player who competes in Grand Slam events. Although she is yet to win a Grand Slam, Bogdan has won 14 singles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit so far. Ana Bogdan has also represented her country in important tournaments like the Billie Jean King Cup.

While Romanian gymnast Andreea Răducan began training at age 4. She won the individual all-around gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics but had to give it up due to a doping accusation. She, however, retained her team gold and vault silver, which she won at the same Olympic Games.

Hungarian-origin Romanian table tennis player Bernadette Szocs had the highest rank of 14 in the International Table Tennis Federation rankings and once topped the European Table Tennis Union ranking. A 2-time Olympian, she also has an older brother, Hunor, who is a national table tennis player.

Sandra Izbașa is a Romanian former artistic gymnast who won a gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. She also won seven gold medals at the European Championships during her illustrious career. Sandra Izbașa's best result at the World Championships came at the 2006 Championships where she won the silver medal in the Balance Beam event.

Former runner Gabriela Szabo is not just an Olympic gold medalist but also a 3-time World Champion. The Romanian-Hungarian sportsperson also has 4 World Indoor Championship gold medals in her kitty. She made headlines after she collided with Ghanaian long-jumper Kofi Amoah Prah in Stuttgart, while she was leaving the track.

Initially trained in track and field, Romanian-born bodybuilder Alina Popa stepped into the bodybuilding arena at age 19. She later went on to win major titles, such as the IFBB National Championship and the Rising Phoenix World Championship. She also works as a trainer and fitness model.

Teodora Ungureanu is a Romanian retired gymnast best known for winning two silver medals and one bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics. She also won a silver medal at the 1978 World Championships. After retiring from gymnastics, Teodora Ungureanu had a successful career as a coach. Ungureanu was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2001.

Corina Ungureanu is a Romanian artistic gymnast best known for winning two gold medals at the 1998 European Championships in St Petersburg. She is also a two-time world champion, winning the gold medals at the 1997 and 1999 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. Corina Ungureanu is also famous for posing nude for the Playboy magazine.

Ana Maria Popescu is a Romanian fencer best known for winning a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. She has also won a silver medal each at the 2008 and 2020 Olympics. A two-time world champion and seven-time European champion, Ana Maria Popescu is much-respected in the world of fencing.

Jaqueline Cristian is a Romanian tennis player who has won 10 singles titles and 10 doubles titles on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour so far. Jaqueline Cristian has also represented her country in important tournaments like the Fed Cup.

Emilia Eberle is a Romanian former gymnast best known for winning two silver medals at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. A two-time world champion, Emilia Eberle also won three silver medals at the 1979 European Championships.

Mihaela Cambei is a Romanian weightlifter who won the bronze medal in the 49 kg category at the 2021 European Championships in Moscow. Cambei is also known for winning three gold medals at the European Youth Championships.

Romanian artistic gymnast Diana Bulimar is not just an Olympic bronze medalist but has also won 2 European Championship golds and a Youth Olympic Games silver. She began training at age 4. Nicknamed Didi, the star has struggled with necrosis in her knees. She has a floor element named after her.

Romanian artistic gymnast Andreea Eugenia Munteanu was part of the Romanian team that won gold at the 30th European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2015. She again represented her country during the 2015 European Championships where she became the only female participant from Romania to qualify for any event finals and eventually won the gold medal in balance beam final.

Iolanda Balas was a Romanian athlete who specialized in high jump. She is best known for winning a gold medal at the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games; she was the first woman from Romania to win an Olympic gold. A two-time European champion and former world record holder, Balas is counted among the greatest high jumpers of the 20th century.

Romanian rower Elisabeta Lipă scripted history when she became the most successful rower in the history of Olympics, with her 8 medals, including 5 gold medals. She was also the first rower to compete at 6 Olympic games and also served as the Romanian Minister of Youth and Sport.

Romanian former artistic-gymnast Maria Olaru was part of the Romanian team that won gold medal at the 34th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships (1999) and at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In 1999, she became all-around world champion. Post-retirement from gymnastics, Olaru was inducted by the West University of Timișoara as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education.   

Romanian artistic gymnast Ana Bărbosu first came under the spotlight when she won the European Junior all-around championship in 2020 and also earned the national all-around silver medal that year. She won a Romanian National Championship gold in 2021, and began her senior career with the City of Jesolo Trophy in 2022.

Romanian-Italian rhythmic gymnast Alexandra Agiurgiuculese was 6 when she began training in gymnastics to correct a spine issue. She grew up to become the first Italian to win the World Challenge Cup Series. She is also a 3-time World Championship medalist and a 4-time Junior European Championship medalist.

Romanian weightlifter Loredana Toma has not just been a World Champion but has also won the European Championship thrice. Though considered a gold aspirant, she could not compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics because of the year-long ban imposed on the Weightlifting Federation of Romania for a doping scandal.

Retired Romanian artistic gymnast Alexandra Marinescu is not just an Olympic bronze medalist but has also won the World Championship twice and the Junior European Championship 4 times. Initially a swimmer, she switched to gymnastics later. Post-retirement, she focused on a music career and also launched her own radio show.

Born in Romania, swimmer Roxana Mărăcineanu later moved to France with her parents. Though trained in gymnastics in her early days, she later became France’s first swimming world champion and an Olympic silver medalist. The Legion of Honour recipient has also been France’s minister of sports.

Romanian-born professional tennis player Raluca Șerban, who represents Cyprus since 2018, made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at 2018 BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open receiving wildcard into doubles main-draw partnering with Isabella Shinikova. She achieved her till-present career-high WTA rankings of 176 in doubles and 202 in singles and has won 13 doubles-titles and 11 singles-titles on the ITF Circuit.  

Retired Romanian artistic gymnast Steliana Nistor began training in the sport at age 5. She is not just an Olympic bronze medalist but also a former European champion. She also has 3 World Championship medals in her kitty. Post-retirement, she focused on coaching and studying physical education.

Romanian table tennis player Elizabeta Samara, who has been a European champion 3 times, is also a 4-time Olympian. She initially played for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe SK and now represents CSA Steaua București, one of the most successful clubs in Romania.

Former artistic gymnast Monica Roşu outshined as strongest vaulter of the Romanian women’s team during the 2004 Olympics and went on to win gold with the team and gold on the vault. Earlier that year she won gold with the team and on vault during the European Championships. She also won silver with her team at the 2003 World Championships.

Retired Romanian artistic-gymnast Lavinia Agache competed at major international events and bagged ten medals. Her achievements include winning a gold with team and a bronze for vault at the 1984 Olympics; three silver medals (for team, vault and uneven bars), and one bronze for balance beam at 1983 World Championships; and a gold for balance beam at 1983 European Championships.

Romanian former artistic-gymnast Ana Porgras is winner of gold medal for balance beam event at the 2010 World Championships. Her other achievements includes winning bronze on the uneven bars while making her senior debut at the 2009 World Championships; and defending her all-around title and winning gold on balance beam and bronze on floor at the 2010 Romanian National Championships.  

Azerbaijani-Romanian weightlifter Cristina Iovu, who competes in 53-kg division, won gold at the European Weightlifting Championships in 2012 and 2016, bronze at the Olympics in 2012 and silver at Universiade in 2013. She was stripped of her Olympic medal after her re-tested 2012 Olympics sample tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. In December 2018, IWF banned her until 2026 for Blood substitution.

Romanian weightlifter Monica Csengeri became a European champion in 2021 and also won a silver at the same contest in 2017. In spite of representing Romania at several international championships, she was banned by the International Weightlifting Federation for a year for testing positive for the stimulant Ephedrine.