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Ana Maria Popescu

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Ana Maria Brânză
At the 2014 European Fencing Championships
Personal information
Full nameAna Maria Florentina Brânză
Nickname(s)Brânzica[1] (and variants Brînzi, Brînzici)
Born (1984-11-26) 26 November 1984 (age 39)
Bucharest, Romania
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb; 9.9 st)
Sport
CountryRomania
SportFencing
WeaponÉpée
HandLeft-handed
National coachDan Podeanu
ClubCSA Steaua București
Head coachGheorghe Epurescu, Cornel Milan
Former coachOctavian Zidaru
FIE rankingcurrent ranking
Medal record
Women's épée
Representing  Romania
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing Épée
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Paris Team épée
Gold medal – first place 2011 Catania Team épée
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Lisbon Individual épée
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Catania Épée
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Budapest Team épée
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Izmir Team épée
Gold medal – first place 2008 Kiev Team épée
Gold medal – first place 2009 Plovdiv Team épée
Gold medal – first place 2011 Sheffield Team épée
Gold medal – first place 2013 Zagreb Épée
Gold medal – first place 2014 Strasbourg Team épée
Silver medal – second place 2008 Kiev Épée
Silver medal – second place 2012 Legnano Team épée
Silver medal – second place 2013 Zagreb Team épée
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Sheffield Épée

Ana Maria Brânză (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈaːna maˈʀiːa ˈbrɨn.zə], born 26 November 1984) is a Romanian épée fencer. She earned the silver medal in the individual épée event at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games[2] and the gold medal in the 2013 European Fencing Championships. She won the overall women's épée World Cup a record-equalling three times (2007–08, 2008–09, and 2012–13), with thirteen World Cup titles to her name. With the Romanian team she was twice World champion (2010 and 2011) and five-times European champion (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2014). As of October 2014 she stands No.4 in the FIE world rankings.

Personal life

Brânză was born in 1984 in the Rahova district of Bucharest,[3] the second of two children. A very energetic child, she was pushed by her parents towards sport. She first tried tennis because the courts were not far from home,[4] but she left after one year because she was the only left-handed player and because of the lack of competitive events.[5] She began fencing at age 10 at the suggestion of her elder brother Marius, who played football for a school team of CSA Steaua București and took her to his club's fencing hall in Ghencea.[6] While foil is the usual learning weapon, she turned to épée because there was no other left-handed weapon available in the club when she began training.

Brânză became champion of Romania for her age group after only six months of training.[4] She was noticed by national coach Dan Podeanu, who after a trial selected her in the national team. At 13 years old she left her family and moved to Craiova to train at the Olympic Centre for épée. She pursued her studies at the Petrache-Trișcu Sports High School,[7] which later gave her name to one of its alleys.[7] She was offered a scholarship from an American university, but she chose to stay in Romania after her bacalaureat.[8]

Brânză obtained in 2007 a master of sports science from the Faculty of sports and physical education of the University of Craiova.[6] The same year she was awarded the title of master emeritus in sports (Maestru Emerit al Sportului). Being from a military family–her grandfather, father and brother served in the army–,[9] she enlisted in 2000 in the Romanian Armed Forces as a sergeant with the support of her club, which is run by the Ministry of National Defence of Romania.[6] She is however under no military obligation and is seconded full-time to her sport.[10] She was promoted to lieutenant after her studies,[6] and (as of 2013) holds the grade of captain.[11]

Brânză is committed to promoting student sport.[12] She also supports AITA, an association for autistic children in Bucharest.[13] In September 2013 she launched the campaign Aleargă de ziua ta! (“run on your birthday”) which encourages people to celebrate their birthday by engaging in physical activity and gathering funds for a charitable cause.[14]

In June 2014, Brânză became engaged to Pavel Popescu, who plays water polo for CSA Steaua and the national Romanian team.[15]

Career

2001–2008

Brânză won her first senior national championship at age 15.[16] She joined in 2001 the fencing section of CSA Steaua under coach Cornel Milan. The same year, she placed first at the Cadet World Championships in Gdańsk. In 2002 she took the gold medal in the Junior World Championships in Antalya. The same year she took part in her first senior World Fencing Championships in Lisbon. She made it to the semi-finals, where she was defeated 15–6 by Germany's Imke Duplitzer and came away with a bronze medal. She was praised for “a remarkable tactical mastery for a seventeen and a half year old girl”.[17] She would later call it her fondest victory, because she was very young at the time and was there alone, without a coach.[18]

In 2004 she won the Junior World Championships again after defeating Bianca Del Carretto in the final. For her Olympic debut at Athens 2004 she managed to beat experienced fencer Adrienn Hormay of Hungary, but stumbled in the table of 16 against China's Zhang Li and finished 16th. She later explained she felt overwhelmed by the Olympic experience[19] and like a child lost amongst big-name athletes.[20] In 2005 she reached her first podium in the Fencing World Cup with a silver medal at the Budapest Grand Prix and for the first time finished the season in the Top 10 in world rankings. In 2006 she claimed her first European Championships medal, a team gold, after defeating Hungary's Tímea Nagy in the last leg. This victory over a double Olympic champion encouraged her to think she could become a champion in her own right.[21]

In the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Brânză was seeded No.2. She disposed first 15–11 of Japan's Megumi Harada, then beat 15–13 Russia's Lyubov Shutova, and prevailed 15–14 over Ildikó Mincza-Nébald of Hungary in the semi-final. She then met world No.1 Britta Heidemann of Germany in the final. Heidemann acquired early a 4-hit lead. Brânză rallied to 10–12 in the third and last period, but the German struck three hits in a row, closing the bout 11–15 with a double touche.[22] Brânza attributed Heidemann's victory to her superior physical condition, explaining that the German had "fenced like a man".[23] For her silver medal Brânză was awarded the Romanian order for sports merit (Ordinul “Meritul Sportiv”), second class.[24] She finished first in the overall women's épée World Cup for two consecutive seasons, 2007–2008 and 2008–2009. She was designated a member of the athletes commission of the International Fencing Federation by its executive committee for the period 2009–2013.[25]

2008–2012

Brânză wearing her trademark yellow mask

After the Olympics Brânză began to complain of tendon pain in her weapon hand, but the competition rhythm did not allow her to attend to it.[4] She was defeated early in the 2009 European Championships in Plovdiv, but secured a team gold medal. She arrived with a No.1 ranking to the World Championships in Antalya, but was plagued by wrist pains and suffered a shock elimination in the table of 32. She had to undergo treatment in France and to follow a strict recovery program.[4] After a break of several months, she earned a gold medal in her first two competitions, the Florina and Nanjing 2010 World Cup events.[4] Up to 2012 she suffered from left-wrist pains and had to get medical attention after each competition.[26] In the 2010 World Fencing Championships in Paris, Brânză was again eliminated early in the individual event, but won the first Romanian team gold in épée with Simona Alexandru, Loredana Iordăchioiu, and Anca Măroiu. Brânză contributed more than half the hits scored by Romania in the final against Germany.[27] Her last relay against Imke Duplitzer, which she won 18–10, was described as “a real example of technique and tactical intelligence” in an otherwise “quite monotonous” match.[28]

In 2011 Brânză took the bronze medal in the individual event of the 2011 European Fencing Championships in Sheffield and the gold medal in the team event after defeating Russia 45-31. The victory ceremony was marred by an incident when Trei culori, the former, communist-era national anthem of Romania, was played instead of the current Deșteaptă-te, române![29] As team captain, Brânză decided to walk off in protest.[29] At the 2011 World Fencing Championships in Catania, Brânză was stopped in semifinals by Sun Yujie of China. In the team event, the “Power Praf girls”—a nickname the Romanian team had given themselves after the Powerpuff Girls anime—[30] managed to retain their world gold medal, prevailing 27–26 against China after a dramatic final where Brânză was injured by a hit on the weapon hand and had to let teammate Simona Gherman fence the last leg.

In May 2012, the Romanian team received new kit from their equipment sponsor PBT, including red, yellow, and blue coloured masks which allow them to form as a team the tricolour flag of Romania.[31] Because nobody else wanted it, Brânză opted for the yellow mask,[31] which has since become her trademark.[32] Number 1 in world rankings in April 2012,[33] she went for gold in the London 2012 Summer Olympics,[34] but she was beaten 14–13 in the round of 16 by Ukraine's Yana Shemyakina, who eventually took the gold medal. The top-seed Romanian team she led was defeated 45–38 by 10th-ranked South Korea in the quarter-finals and fell short of the podium too. Brânză was quoted saying: "This is the most painful moment in my life."[35] After the Games three Romanian team members retired from sport, but Brânză decided to continue her career and announced her new goal was the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[36] After the resignation of her lifelong coach Dan Podeanu, she began training under Octavian Zidaru.

After the London Games

Brânză (left) and teammates celebrate Romania's bronze medal in the 2013 World Fencing Championships

In the 2012–13 season Brânză made the podium in six out of eight entries in World Cup events, including gold medals in the Challenge International de Saint-Maur and the Havana Grand Prix.[37] She led CSA Steaua to a silver medal in the European Champion Clubs' Cup in Naples.[38] In May she won her 8th national title as well as the team event.[39]

Number one in the FIE world rankings, she went to the 2013 European Fencing Championships as favourite. She had a tight 15–14 win in the table of 32 against 17-year old Alona Komarov of Israel.[40] Her later bouts were easier victories and she eventually earned the gold after defeating Italia's Francesca Quondamcarlo 15–11 in the final.[40] In the team event she led a largely renewed Romanian side, now nicknamed ”Poky Power”, scoring the decisive hit in the 44–43 quarter-final against Sweden; Romania then disposed of Hungary, but failed against Estonia in the final and came away with a silver medal.

During the 2013 World Fencing Championships in Budapest, Brânză made her way comfortably to the table of eight, but she was defeated in a tight 14–15 bout by Estonia's Julia Beljajeva, who eventually won the competition. In the team event, Romania defeated successively Denmark, Venezuela, and South Korea, reaping revenge on the defeat in the Olympic Games. They were stopped in the semifinals by Russia, which largely prevailed with a 44–33 victory. Romania then fought France in the match for the third place; Brânză entered the last leg on a 25–25 draw and beat Joséphine Jacques-André-Coquin 8–3 to secure the bronze medal.[41] Brânză was also elected a member of the athletes' commission in the elections held during the world championships.[42] She finished the year No.1 for a record-equalling third time and received a gold medal from the FIE during its centenary gala dinner in Paris at the Automobile Club de France on 30 November 2013.[43]

Brânză (left) and teammates at the semi-finals of the 2014 European Fencing Championships

In the 2013–14 season, Brânză took part in the World Combat Games in Saint-Petersburg, but failed to earn a medal after defeats against Emese Szász and Xu Anqi.[44] She finished fifth in the first World Cup event of the season in Doha after Julianna Révész defeated her 7–8 in quarter-finals, but won the gold medal in the team event, scoring the decisive hit in additional time in the last three matches.[45] She went on to win the Budapest Grand Prix, prevailing 15–7 against Irina Embrich in the final.[46] She later earned a bronze medal in Saint-Maur after being stopped in semifinals by China's Xu Anqi, who eventually won the competition.[47] After three podiums in Barcelona in 2011, 2012, and 2013, she exited the competition in the table of 8 after a 15–11 defeat against Qin Xue of China. In the team event, she led her team to the semi-finals, where Romania were defeated 35–20 by Russia. Romania then met the United States; Brânză scored the winning hit in additional time to earn bronze.[48] The rest of the season brought her no podium placings and she lost in May her world No.1 ranking to Emese Szász.

At the European Championships in Strasbourg Brânză could not defend her title as she was beaten 8–9 in the table of 32 by team-mate Simona Gherman, who eventually won a bronze medal.[49] In the team competition, No.2 seed Romania received a bye, then disposed of Ukraine 45–31, beat Italy 29–24 in the semi-final and overcame Russia 38–34 in a very tight and tactical final, allowing Brânză to win her fifth team European gold.[50] The World Championships in Kazan proved very disappointing as Brânză was stopped in the table of 16 by Estonia's Irina Embrich and slid to the fifth place in FIE rankings. In the team event, Romania prevailed over Germany, but were defeated in the table of 8 by Italy. Brânză entered on 25–24 for Italy in the last leg and was overcome 16–8 by newly crowned World champion Rossella Fiamingo. Romania entered the placement rounds and first defeated China, then the United States to take the fifth place in the competition. Following this failure, Octavian Zidaru was replaced as coach by Dan Podeanu,[51] whom Brânză regards as a second father[52] and who was persuaded to come back for a second stint.

Brânză entered the 2014–15 season with a silver medal at the Legnano World Cup after a 13–12 defeat in additional time against Ukraine's Anfisa Pochkalova. In the team event, she scored the winning hit in extra time in the semi-finals against Italy, but Romania were overcome by Estonia in the final and doomed to silver.[53]

Medal record

Senior

Brânză (yellow mask) during the match for the 3rd place against France in the 2013 World Fencing Championships
Brânză (yellow mask) v Emese Szász during the final of the Challenge International de Saint-Maur 2013
  • Fencing World Cup
    • Winner in overall World Cup: 2007–08, 2008–2009, and 2012–13.
    • Individual gold in World Cup competitions: Budapest 2006 and 2014; Doha 2009; Florina 2007 and 2010; Saint-Petersburg 2008; Havana 2009 and 2013; Nanjing 2009 and 2010; Barcelona 2011 and 2012; Saint-Maur 2013.
    • Individual silver in World Cup competitions: Budapest 2005 and 2008; Prague 2007; Havana 2008; Rome 2009; Doha 2013; Xuzhou (formerly Nanjing) 2013; Legnano 2014.
    • Individual bronze in World Cup competitions: Barcelona 2007, 2008 and 2013; Havana 2007 and 2010; Luxemburg 2008; Saint-Maur 2009 and 2014; Florina 2009; Budapest 2013.
  • Romanian National Championship
    • Gold medal: 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013[54]

Military sports

  • Military European Fencing Championships

Cadet and junior

  • Junior European Fencing Championships
    • Individual gold, 2003 Porec
    • Team gold, 2003 Porec
  • Cadet World Fencing Championships

Awards and honours

  • Master Emeritus in Sport
  • Order for sports merit (Ordinul “Meritul Sportiv”), second class
  • Honorary citizen (cetățean de onoare) of Craiova[30] and Bușteni[55]
  • Aspen “Sports and Society Leadership” Award, 2013[56]

References

  1. ^ “Brânză” means “cheese” in Romanian. “Brânzica” is a diminutive, meaning literally “small cheese”.
  2. ^ "Ana Maria Brânză Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  3. ^ Carmen Constantin (7 April 2012). "Ana Maria Brânză, scrimeră: "La școală îmi plăcea mai mult decât în vacanță!"". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  4. ^ a b c d e "Brânză "dulce", o rețetă de succes în scrimă". Adevărul (in Romanian). 30 May 2010.
  5. ^ Alexandra Stefan (13 August 2008). "Ana Maria Branza a renuntat la tenis pentru scrima". HotNews.ro (in Romanian).
  6. ^ a b c d International Fencing Federation (Summer 2010). "Biography of Ana Branza" (pdf). Escrime XXI (70): 59–60.
  7. ^ a b Daniela Mitroi (6 November 2008). "Aleea Ana Brânză, la Liceul Sportiv din Craiova". Gazeta de Sud (in Romanian).
  8. ^ Adrian Țone (23 July 2013). "Scrimera Ana Maria, despre ce mare Brânză face la Londra". Mediafax.ro (in Romanian).
  9. ^ "Ten. Branza". 5th CISM Military World Games (in Portuguese).
  10. ^ Denis Dujardin (2010). "Interview: Ana Branza" (pdf). CISM Magazine (149): 62–63.
  11. ^ Andrei Mazurchievici (5 March 2013). "Brânză, după ce a obținut aurul la CM din Franța: Cred că lumea a fost mai încântată că am învins o unguroaică în finală decât de rezultat". Gândul (in Romanian).
  12. ^ "Ana Maria Brânză și Alina Dumitru, printre ambasadorii sportului universitar românesc". Epoch Times (in Romanian). 10 October 2010.
  13. ^ Roxana Fleșeru (2 November 2011). "Ana Maria Brînză a vizitat centru AITA". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  14. ^ "A fost lansat proiectul Aleargă cu Ana-Maria Brânză". Agerpres (in Romanian). 20 November 2013.
  15. ^ Marian Burlacu (18 June 2014). "Poloistul Popescu i-a făcut surpriza vieții spadasinei Ana Maria Brânză!". sportnews.ro (in Romanian).
  16. ^ Roxana Fleșeru (13 May 2013). "Ana Maria Brînză, campioană națională vineri pentru a opta oară, își dorește să revină acolo unde a mai fost: "Vreau să fiu pe primul loc"". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  17. ^ Jean-Marie Safra (June 2002). "Fencing is well-armed for the future" (pdf). Escrime XXI (40): 24.
  18. ^ Daniel Remeș (20 March 2012). "Brânză în patru anotimpuri! Campioană mondială și europeană, Ana Maria Brânză s-a dezbrăcat de secrete într-un interviu neconvențional". ProSport.ro (in Romanian).
  19. ^ Andreea Ogararu (8 February 2012). "Castig de onoare". footballfabulous.com (in Romanian).
  20. ^ "Scrimera Ana Maria Brânză - Cu mama alături, echipa ei e gată pentru olimpiada". Petocuri (in Romanian). 2012.
  21. ^ Daniela Oancea (18 October 2013). "Ana Maria Brânză, declarată cea mai bună spadasină din lume". cariereonline.ro (in Romanian).
  22. ^ Gelu Sulugiuc (13 August 2008). Reuters (ed.). "Heidemann doubles up for Germany". {{cite web}}: |editor= has generic name (help)
  23. ^ Official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, ed. (14 August 2008). "Fencing Day 5 Review: German Fencers own gold".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: editors list (link)
  24. ^ "Communicat de presă". Administration of the President of România (in Romanian). 27 August 2008.
  25. ^ "Results of the 2009 election to the Athletes Commission" (pdf). International Fencing Federation.
  26. ^ "Athlete interviews—Ana Branza". Escrime XXI (Spring). 2012.
  27. ^ "La Roumanie l'emporte". L'Équipe (in French). 12 November 2010.
  28. ^ Ioan Pop (2010). "The grandeur of fencing at the Grand Palais" (pdf). Escrime XXI (72): 14.
  29. ^ a b Andrei Mazurchievici. "Organizatorii CE de scrimă de la Sheffield au greşit imnul României. Cum au reacționat sportivele românce când au auzit "Trei culori"". Mediafax.ro.
  30. ^ a b Daniela Mitroi-Ochea (18 October 2011). "Fetele "Power Praf" de aur". Gazeta de Sud (in Romanian).
  31. ^ a b Roxana Fleșeru (26 May 2013). "Spadasinele și-au luat măști colorate". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  32. ^ Gabriele Lippi (19 January 2014). "Il potere della maschera gialla". Pianeta Scherma (in Italian).
  33. ^ "FIE rankings on 24 April 2012". Nahouw.net.
  34. ^ Reuters (24 May 2012). "Olympics-Foiled in Beijing, Romania fencer goes for gold". {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  35. ^ British Fencing (October 2012). "Women's epee team: China overpower Korea" (pdf). The Sword (Olympic Games Special Supplement): 21.
  36. ^ "Ana-Maria Brânză încearcă să-și convingă colegele să nu se retragă". Dolce Sport (in Romanian). 1 February 2013.
  37. ^ Roxana Fleșeru (26 May 2013). "Ana, la cubana". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  38. ^ "Scrima – Spadasinele de la Steaua, argint la Cupa Europei". Sport Total (in Romanian). 25 March 2013.
  39. ^ "Spadă feminin: Ana Maria Brânză – Era important ca titlul să rămână la CSA Steaua". Agerpres (in Romanian). 10 May 2013.
  40. ^ a b Roxana Fleșeru (21 June 2013). "Ana Maria Brînză spune povestea zilei ei de aur: "Emoții, căldură, mulțumire"". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  41. ^ Roxana Fleșeru (11 August 2013). "România a luat bronzul la spadă feminin la CM de la Budapesta". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  42. ^ Marian Ursescu (14 August 2013). "Realeasă în Comisia Sportivilor din FIE » Ana Maria Brînză îi va reprezenta pe sportivi în federația internațională". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  43. ^ Roxana Fleșeru (30 November 2013). "Premiul de la Paris » Ana Maria Brînză a fost declarată cea mai bună spadasină a anului". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  44. ^ Daniel Remeș (27 October 2013). "Ana Maria Brânză, locul patru în proba de spadă la World Combat Games". ProSport.
  45. ^ Daniel Remeș (19 January 2014). "România a câștigat aurul la Cupa Mondială la spadă fete de la Doha! Am învins China în finală cu 19-18!". ProSport (in Romanian).
  46. ^ Roxana Fleșeru (3 February 2014). "Ana Maria Brînză s-a impus la Budapesta și a ajuns la 13 victorii în Cupa Mondială". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  47. ^ Daniel Remeș (1 March 2014). "Bronz pentru Ana Maria Brânză la Cupa Mondială de spadă de la Saint Maur". ProSport (in Romanian).
  48. ^ Roxana Fleșeru (11 March 2014). "Pe trei la Barcelona: echipa feminină de spadă a terminat pe podium în Spania". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian).
  49. ^ Patrick Issert (8 June 2014). "Championnats d'Europe d'escrime: les femmes apportent deux nouvelles médailles". L'Équipe (in French).
  50. ^ AFP, ed. (12 June 2014). "Championnats d'Europe : la Roumanie sacrée à l'épée dames" (in French).
  51. ^ Ionuț Coman (2 October 2014). "Din nou în familie » Dan Podeanu a revenit la cîrma lotului național feminin de spadă". Gazeta Sportutilor (in Romanian).
  52. ^ "Ana Brânză: Craiova mi-a rămas în suflet" (in Romanian). Ghid Sportiv. 1 February 2013.
  53. ^ "Încă o medalie de argint pentru Ana Maria Brînză » Locul doi cu echipa". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 27 October 2014.
  54. ^ Romanian Fencing Federation (ed.). "Campioni Naționali" (in Romanian).
  55. ^ Daniel Remeș (9 December 2013). "Ana Maria Brânză și Simona Halep, cetățeni de onoare ai Bușteniului". ProSport (in Romanian).
  56. ^ "Aspen Leadership Awards and gala dinner 2013". Aspen Institute Romania.
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