Alina Dumitru

Alina Dumitru (Romanian pronunciation: [aˈlina duˈmitru]; born 30 August 1982) is a Romanian judoka, one-time Olympic champion and eight-time European champion. At the 2008 Summer Olympics she defeated Japanese double gold medallist Ryoko Tani, who until then had been undefeated in major international competitions for 12 years.[1]

Alina Dumitru
Personal information
Full nameAlina Alexandra Dumitru
Nickname(s)Pitzi
Born (1982-08-30) 30 August 1982
Bucharest, Romania
Height1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)
Weight48 kg (106 lb; 7.6 st)
Sport
SportJudo
ClubCSA Steaua Bucureşti
Coached byFlorin Bercean
Medal record
Women's judo
Representing  Romania
Olympic Games
2008 Beijing –48 kg
2012 London –48 kg
World Championships
2005 Cairo –48 kg
2007 Rio de Janeiro–48 kg
2010 Tokyo –48 kg
European Championships
2004 Bucharest –48 kg
2005 Rotterdam –48 kg
2006 Tampere –48 kg
2007 Belgrade –48 kg
2008 Lisbon –48 kg
2010 Vienna –48 kg
2011 Istanbul –48 kg
2012 Chelyabinsk –48 kg
2009 Tbilisi –48 kg

Career

2008 Summer Olympics

Dumitru defeated the legendary five-time Olympian Ryoko Tani by "keikoku" in a shocking –48 kg semifinal upset at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium. She controlled the five-minute showdown, maintaining her position with strong defense, refusing to budge or give her experienced foe a chance to mount a strong attack. It worked, as Tani lost points for passivity. Then she flipped Cuba's Yanet Bermoy becoming the first Romanian judoka to win a gold medal in the Summer Olympic Games.[2]

2012 Summer Olympics

She took part in the Judo at the 2012 Summer Olympics but lost in the final against Sarah Menezes. In the semifinals, Dumitru beat world number one Tomoko Fukumi.[3]

Awards

Alina Dumitru was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu, with Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" — (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class III.[4]

She was given the award of Cetățean de onoare ("Honorary Citizen") of her hometown Ploiești in 2008.[5]

References
  1. "Upsets of Olympic Proportions". Wall Street Journal. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  2. "Tani falls short in quest for gold". Japan Times. 8 August 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  3. "Olympics: Hiraoka gets silver, Fukumi left out of medals". Kyodo News. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  4. "Decorarea delegaţiei olimpice de la Beijing" (in Romanian). presidency.ro. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  5. "Alina Dumitru a devenit cetăţean de onoare al oraşului Ploieşti" (in Romanian). gsp.ro. 30 September 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2012.


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