1. Overview
Gheorghiță Ștefan (also known as Ștefan Gheorghiță), born on January 17, 1986, in Bucharest, Romania, is a former Romanian freestyle wrestler. He is best known for earning a bronze medal in the men's freestyle 74 kg event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Although he initially finished fifth, he was officially awarded the bronze medal in November 2016 following the disqualification of another athlete due to a doping violation. Throughout his career, Ștefan competed at a height of 70 in (178 cm) and a weight of 196 lb (89 kg).
2. Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born in the Romanian capital of Bucharest on January 17, 1986, Gheorghiță ȘtefanGheorghiță ȘtefanRomanian began his involvement in wrestling at the age of 12. His early training laid the foundation for a distinguished career in the sport.
3. Junior and Early Senior Career
Ștefan's progression through the wrestling ranks was marked by early success and dedicated coaching. He was selected for the Romanian junior national team in 2004. Two years later, in 2006, he achieved a significant milestone by becoming the runner-up at the European Junior Wrestling Championships. In the same year, his talent was recognized, leading to his first selection for the senior Romanian national team. Throughout his career, Ștefan trained with various clubs, including Rapid and Bucharest, under the guidance of several coaches, notably Cornel Zaharia (from 2000), Aurel Cimpoeru (from 2013), and Anatoli Guidea (from 2015).
4. Major International Competitions
Ștefan Gheorghiță competed in several major international freestyle wrestling tournaments, achieving notable success, particularly at the Olympic Games, European Championships, and the Universiade.
4.1. 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics
Gheorghiță Ștefan represented Romania at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, competing in the men's freestyle 74 kg event, which was also known as the welterweight category. In his initial match, he faced Soslan Tigiev of Uzbekistan and was defeated. However, he advanced to the repechage round, where he secured a victory against Emzarios Bentinidis of Greece, earning a spot in the bronze medal match. In the bronze medal bout, he competed against Murad Gaidarov of Belarus but ultimately lost, finishing the competition in fifth place.
Several years later, in November 2016, a significant development occurred: Soslan Tigiev, who had won the silver medal in the same event, was stripped of his medal following a positive doping test. As a result of Tigiev's disqualification, Gheorghiță Ștefan's position was upgraded, and he was officially awarded the bronze medal for his performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
4.2. European Championships and Universiade
Beyond the Olympics, Ștefan Gheorghiță also distinguished himself at other prestigious international competitions. At the 2011 European Wrestling Championships held in Dortmund, he earned a bronze medal in the 84 kg category, further solidifying his standing in European wrestling. Two years later, he achieved a gold medal at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, competing in the 84 kg event.
5. Personal Life
In 2016, Gheorghiță Ștefan married Romanian judoka Corina Căprioriu. Căprioriu herself is an accomplished athlete, having won a silver medal in judo at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Their marriage brought together two prominent figures in Romanian sports.