Romania Wins 2 Medals at European Paraclimbing Championship

The 6 Romanian athletes who participated in the European Paraclimbing Championship organized in Villars, Switzerland, between August 24-25, 2024, won 1 gold and 1 bronze medal. The National Team will also represent Romania at the Paralympic Games that will take place in 2028 in the USA.

During the European Championship, the National Paraclimbing Team, founded and coordinated by the NGO Climb Again, achieved a great performance and added 2 more medals to the team’s track record. Liviu Matei is the new European Champion in the AU3 category.

The Romanian team obtained the following results:

Liviu Matei – 1st Place, Category AU3
Răzvan Nedu – 3rd Place, Category B2
Florin Herciu – 10th Place, Category AL2
Andrei Petraru – 9th Place, Category RP1
Ștefan Dogaru – 6th Place, Category RP3
Maria Herciu – 10th Place, Category RP1

The Romanian National Paraclimbing Team, one of the most highly regarded and respected teams in the competition, was coordinated and supported at this European Championship by Claudiu Miu (head coach), Antoaneta Barbu (team manager), Delia Liscan (coach/navigator), and Radu Ionescu (coach).

Athletes in the B1 category are completely blind, those in the B2 category have visual acuity up to 2/60 and/or a visual field less than 5%. Athletes in the B3 category have visual acuity between 2/60 and 6/60 and a visual field between 5% and 20%. Athletes in the RP category may have neurological or physiological impairments that can vary greatly. Some athletes in the RP classes require a wheelchair, while others are limited by other factors (flexibility, coordination, strength).

Athletes in the AU category have a hand amputation or partial amputation. Athletes in the AL category have a leg amputation.

Climb Again developed the first climbing therapy center in Europe in Bucharest and founded and coordinates the National Paraclimbing Group of Romania. The extraordinary results achieved by the athletes so far have confirmed the value and rise of this sport in Romania.