Florin-Alexandru Bologa

Started: He took up judo in 2012 at school. (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016) Reason: He participated in a judo selection event organised by the Romanian Paralympic Committee. "I was a high school student at the Special School for the Visually Impaired in Cluj-Napoca when I was spotted by Csokasi Eniko and Gianina Andreica, the two coaches sent to make the selection. At that time, three students were selected, but the rest dropped out along the way. Until then, I didn't know what judo meant, but when I stepped on the tatami for the first time, I felt something special, I felt I had found my place. My happy place." (eju.net, 23 Jan 2024) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris and to compete at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. He also aspires to become a judo coach following his retirement from competition. (eju.net, 23 Jan 2024; paralympic.org, 19 Jun 2021) Milestones: At the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he became the second Romanian to win a Paralympic medal in any sport, and the first in Para judo, when he claimed bronze in the men's 60kg event in Brazil. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jul 2024) Awards: In 2022 he was named Athlete of the Year by the Cluj University Sports Club in Romania. (zcj.ro, 28 Dec 2022)