“Favorite costume is competition”

Several important athletes, including double world champion David Popovici and rowers from the national team, were present at the Be Active Gala, organized by the National Sports Agency to celebrate 10 years of movement, energy and European unity. Among them were the Olympic champions from Paris in the double rowing event, Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache.

Elegantly dressed in a suit, after FR Canotaj recently signed a partnership with D'S Damat, the two talked from the very beginning about the gala outfits and how they feel wearing them more often at the end of the year, when many galas and festivities are organized.

“As you well know, the favorite suit is the competition suit, in that we feel the best and we are, as I would say, in the competition comfort zone. And indeed, this end of the year comes with many galas for Romanian athletes, not necessarily only for us, and of course, with some lessons learned this yearEnache said.

“At the same time it comes with some opportunities and setting goals in terms of developing sports in Romania and implementing mindsets in the younger generations, in what this campaign, Be Active, is all about and how cool it is to do sports and move to have a healthy life and constant discipline,” he added.

Andrei Cornea: “We receive the medal in the sports suit”

The galas also come with awards, which reward their work and effort. How important are they to them? “They are quite important because through these disciplines we feel as proud somewhat as when we received a medal. Because all our work is rewarded for which we give our interest and struggle day by day to get. Except that, fortunately, we get the medal in the sports suit, here we get it with four pins“, Cornea explained.

The rowers will stay in camp until December 20, the Holidays are approaching, how tempting is the menu specific to those festive days? “I don't know exactly what the Holiday meal will look like for me, but endurance sports, it hurts, I'm getting old and it's starting to show, so I have to be much more careful about rest, nutrition and this year I chose to do them at home, near the family. I no longer have the energy and patience to hang out with friends until morning“, were the words of Marian Enache.

“I haven't written to Santa. I suppose he knows us all well enough to know what we want. But as long as we manage to get a medal during the year or even more, it's about the nicest gift we could give for that year“, added Andrei Cornea.

Marian Enache and Andrei Cornea Photo: FR Canotaj/Balint Czucz

He also addressed the topic of thoughts for the coming year. “There are many thoughts. First of all, we want to go and get the best medals, but until then let's finish this year that even if it seems a little, more and more until the year,” he added, smiling.

Marian Enache, passionate about football: “I really want Romania to qualify for the World Cup”

Enache is interested in football, and the topic of qualifying the Romanian national team for the World Cup came up naturally. “Yes, I really want Romania to qualify. I believe in the boys, but it is necessary for them to believe the most because being a team is not exactly easy. They all have to be on the same wavelength, they have to have the same mentality and when it's hard for them, they have to overcome that moment, because that's what sport is all about, that's what performance is all about“, he emphasized.

“Only those who manage to get over the hard times can win and get further. I wish them success. We all want Romania to be at the World Cup because we need to make ourselves visible internationally and certainly if we all believe and work in this direction, we will succeed,” he added.

He concluded by saying that he would like to see a football match live, from the stands, especially at the World Cup, but it all depends on the schedule during that period.

(P) Petrom is the main sponsor of the Romanian Rowing Federation and supports the next generation of champions through the “Energy for Performance” program.