• Between Medals is a campaign launched by Banca Transilvania in partnership with the Romanian Olympic Sports Committee, which aims to support the efforts of Romanian athletes.

Last year, together with his partner, he brought the first Olympic gold for Romanian rowing after a 13-year hiatus, and in 2022 he won the gold medal at both the European Championships and the World Championships. The podium loves Simona Radish, but for her, “not only those moments on the podium when all eyes are on you are important, but actually the work behind the scenes.”

The path from training to Olympic gold in Tokyo-2020 was long – almost nine years, says Simona. Training, during which two voices collide in her mind – the one telling her not to worry because she’s tired, and the one telling her to shoot hard.

“Most of the time when I train, my mind is already calculating the speed at which I should row, the force I should apply. We have time, we watch the timers, we fight to the hundredth of a second. I have to be smooth in the boat, feel the water rustle past the boat, feel the wind create a small wave, I have to feel everything. The hardest thing for me in training is when I’m tired, then the mind works and the thought “relax” appears. “How about letting it go easy, now shoot harder!” And then I make a few harder strokes, and the fatigue sets in again: “Ah, let’s go a little easier.” “How can it be easier to let her go? Let’s go! I can’t anymore, I want to go home.” “Well, how about home? Raise your hand and work.”

The last two years have brought public and media attention to Simona Radish, and today, for the 23-year-old rower, this means additional pressure that she feels strongly.

“There are not many moments when we are in the spotlight because there is little competition. But the truth is that not only those moments on the catwalk, when all eyes are on you, are important, but also the work behind the scenes.

Lately, I’ve had enough of these discouraging moments where I want to give up precisely because of the increasing pressure on my shoulders and the shoulders of my colleague. The feeling of not being disappointed pulls the world out from under your feet,” admits Simona.

However, the Olympic champion, world and European champion knows what she could tell Simone from childhood: “to trust her, take your time, be very attentive to the people around you, not be influenced and work hard because of dreams.” be carried out.”

The Romanian flag was raised to the highest height of joy and proudly carried by the athletes. They noticed the proud smiles of such success.

What was not visible was thousands of hours of training, clapping, pain in every fiber. This could only be seen in the halls, on the fields in the morning, on the athletic tracks.

We admire the effort put into these medals and support them for the next ones. We have no choice.

BT and COSR – a partnership to support the efforts of Romanian athletes.