Constantin Alexandru

Constantin Alexandru (* December 15, 1953 in Constanţa ) is a former Romanian wrestler. He was winner of a silver medal at the 1980 Olympic Games and World and European champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in the paper weight.

Career

Constantin Alexandru grew up in Constanta and began as a teenager with the rings. He was discovered by the famous and successful coach Constantin Ofiţerescu, who then trained him when Ringer Club CS Farul Constanta. The 1.58 meter tall athlete was in1973 Romanian champion in the seniors and then moved up to the Sport Club of the Army, was called Clubul Sportiv Steaua Bucharest Armatei al. He wrestled exclusively in the Greco- Roman style. Constantin Alexandru had in his weight class to do it in Romania with Gheorghe Berceanu, the Olympic champion from 1972, which he replaced by train from 1973 train. As Berceanu after the Olympic Games in 1976 resigned, he ruled until 1980, the wrestler scene in his weight class in Romania alone.

The international career of Alexandru Constantin began in 1973 at the World Championships in Tehran. There, however, he could not place it in the front of the field itself. He won in Tehran only against Tseren Lhajav from Mongolia and fought against Stefan Angelov from Bulgaria undecided. Counter Moradali Shirbani from Iran and Ferenc Seres from Hungary he lost and got away with it on the 7th Place. At the European Championships 1974 in Madrid, he was much more successful, because he won there in the paper weight with wins over Ferenc Seres, Hungary, Stefan Angelov, Bulgaria, Salih Bora, Turkey, Alexei Shumakov, USSR, all wrestlers, to which he next in the years nor should meet frequently, as well as Antonio Quastelli, Italy and Haralambos Holidis, Greece, the European champion. At the World Cup in 1974 in Katowice, he took an excellent second place. He had there only the defending champion Vladimir Zubkov beaten from the USSR.

In 1975 he repeated the title at the European Championships in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, where he, Finland, Janusz Kosinski, Poland, Sotirios Ventas, Greece, Ferenc Seres and Alexei Shumakov scored wins over Pawel Christow from Bulgaria, Raimo Hirvonen. 1975 Constantin Alexandru started for the first time at the Grand Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany in Aschaffenburg and won this tournament before Georgijew Georgi from Bulgaria. Then in the course of his career he started in the years 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980 at this tournament and brought the feat to conquer all these years and this, with Vladimir Zubkov, Saksylik Uschkempirow, Vladimir Schatunow, all USSR Roman Kierpacz, Poland and Bernd Scherer, Germany, to refer world-class wrestlers to the places.

At the World Championships 1975 in Minsk Constantin Alexandru had to dodge in the flyweight, because in the paper weight Gheorghe Berceanu went to the start. It showed that he could compete in this weight class not quite in terms of forces. He won there though about Bruce Thompson from the United States, Heinz Schmidt from the GDR and Haralambos Holidis, but was defeated by Lajos Rácz from Hungary and Baek Seung- hyun of South Korea and got away with it on the 6th Place.

In 1976, Constantin Alexandru, back in the paper weight, only at the European Championships at the start, because for a start in the Olympics qualified for the Romanian Olympic excretion Gheorghe Berceanu in Montreal. At the European Championships in 1976 in Leningrad, Constantin Alexandru had to admit defeat in the final against Alexei Shumakov after he had previously beaten Salih Bora, Ferenc Seres and Janusz Kosinski.

1977 Constantin Alexandru won the European Championship in Bursa for the third time the European title in paper weight. He won it on Vicente Sanchez from Spain, Georgi Georgijew, Salih Bora, Anatoly Basin, USSR and Wieslaw Kucinski, Poland. A major setback he experienced then at the World Championships 1977 in Gothenburg. He defeated namely there against Wieslaw Kucinski and against Yoshineru Morikawi from Japan and thus left after the 2nd round. He thus placed only on the 10th Place.

The year 1978 then became an absolute success year Constantin Alexandru. He was first in Oslo European champion in paper weight, for the fourth time, where he defeated Anatoly Basin, Cluzeland, France, Hakama, Albania, Salih Bora and Dietmar Hinz, DDR, and then he was in the autumn of this year in Mexico City for the first time world champion. He defeated it Santha Jozsef from Hungary, Salih Bora, Dietmar Hinz, Alexei Shumakov and Roman Kierpacz from Poland.

In 1979 Constantin Alexandru brought the feat to repeat the successes of 1978. He was in Bucharest with wins over Jozsef Santha, Pawel Christow, Roman Kierpacz and Anatoly Basin for the fifth time European champion and in San Diego with wins over Jorge Martinez, Cuba, Greg Williams, USA, Ferenc Seres, Alexei Shumakov and Pawel Christow for the second time world Champion.

1980 tore this successful series abruptly. At the European Championships in Prievidza he lost namely against Roman Kierpacz and against Freddy Scherer from Germany and got away with it only on the 9th Place. At the Olympic Games in Moscow, but he was back in better shape. He lost there though like his first fight against Saksylik Uschkempirow, but fought his way then with wins over Saber Nakdali from Syria, Alfredo Oltera from Mexico, Pawel Christow and Ferenc Seres nor the Olympic silver medal.

Constantin Alexandru continued in 1981 his career continued, had seen at the European Championships this year in Gothenburg, however, that he has lost much of its physical performance by the permanent detraining. He arrived in Gothenburg flyweight only to 5th place, he fought his way after a defeat against Ljubomir Zenkow from Bulgaria with a win over Leszek Majkowski from Poland. He said after this championship his resignation.

However, 1983 was Romania for the international championships no powerful wrestler in Flyweight available. Constantin Alexandru then agreed to go again at the European Championships in Budapest and at the World Championships in Kiev at the start. But with two championships he won no medal. In Budapest, he finished 5th in Kiev and he only came on the 9th Place.

Constantin Alexandru was after his career as a wrestler coach at Steaua Bucharest.

International success

Romanian Championships

Constantin Alexandru won 1973-1981 seven times the Romanian championship in Greco-Roman wrestling in the paper weight

Note: all matches in Greco -Roman style, OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, paper weight, then to 48 kg Flyweight, then to 52 kg body weight

Swell

• Documentation of International Wrestling Championships FILA, 1976
• Journals Athletics and The Ringer,
• Database of the Institute for Applied Training Science at the University of Leipzig