Simona Gherman
{{short description|Romanian épée fencer}}
{{Infobox fencer
| name = Simona Cristina Gherman
| birth_name = Simona Cristina Alexandru
| image = Simona Gherman 2014 European Championships EFS-IN t193804.jpg
| caption = Gherman at the 2014 European Fencing Championships
| nationality = Romanian
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|4|12|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Bucharest, Romania
| height = {{height|m=1.70}}
| weight = {{convert|55|kg|lb st|abbr=on}}
| website =
| country =
| weapon = Épée
| hand = Right-handed
| club = Steaua București
| natlcoach = Dan Podeanu, Gheorghe Epurescu
| headcoach = Cornel Milan
| assistcoach =
| formercoach =
| retired =
| coaching =
| worlds =
| regionals =
| nationals =
| olympics =
| fieranking = [https://fie.org/athletes/5621 current ranking]
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold|2016 Rio de Janeiro|Team}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalGold|2010 Paris|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2011 Catania|Team}}
{{MedalSilver|2015 Moscow|Team}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Games}}
{{MedalBronze|2015 Baku|Individual}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}
{{MedalGold|2008 Kyiv|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2009 Plovdiv|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2011 Sheffield|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2012 Legnano|Individual}}
{{MedalGold|2014 Strasbourg|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2015 Montreux|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2016 Toruń|Individual}}
{{MedalSilver|2012 Legnano|Team}}
{{MedalBronze|2014 Strasbourg|Individual}}
{{MedalBronze|2016 Toruń|Team}}
| show-medals = no
}}
Simona Gherman (née Alexandru; born 12 April 1985) is a retired Romanian épée fencer, European champion in 2012 and 2016. She was twice team World Champion in 2010 and 2011 and five-time team European Champion in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2015.
Career
Gherman was born in Bucharest in 1985.{{cn|date=June 2025}} Her first significant result was a team bronze medal with Loredana Iordăchioiu and Ana Maria Popescu at the 2004 Junior World Championships in Plovdiv. The same year, she won a Junior World Cup tournament in Palermo.
Gherman then joined the senior national team captained by Popescu. Along with Iordăchioiu and Anca Măroiu, they won the European Championships in 2008 and 2009. In the 2010 World Fencing Championships, the "{{lang|ro|Power Praf}} girls"—a nickname the Romanian team had given themselves after the Powerpuff Girls anime—{{cite web|url=http://www.gds.ro/Sport/2011-10-18/Fetele+%E2%80%9EPower+Praf%E2%80%9C+de+aur|title=Fetele "Power Praf" de aur|author=Daniela Mitroi-Ochea|work=Gazeta de Sud|date=18 October 2011|language=Romanian}} took the first Romanian team gold in épée after defeating Germany at the Grand Palais in Paris.{{cite journal|title=The grandeur of fencing at the Grand Palais|url=http://www.fie.ch/download/magazines/2010/escrime%20xxi%20no72.pdf|author=Ioan Pop|journal=Escrime XXI|issue=72|year=2010|pages=14}}
In 2011, Gherman won a team gold at the European Fencing Championships in Sheffield and at the World Military Championships in Rio de Janeiro. In August, she married Dragoș Gherman, whose name she took in competitions. In the World Championships Romania met China in the final. After Popescu was injured, Gherman fenced Li Na in the last leg and scored the decisive hit, allowing Romania to retain their gold medal.{{cite web|url=http://www.gsp.ro/gsp-special/superreportaje/azi-se-implineste-o-luna-de-cind-simona-alexandru-si-coechipierele-sale-au-cucerit-titlul-mondial-la-spada-povestea-unui-titlu-mondial-280822.html|title=Povestea unui titlu mondial|work=Gazeta Sporturilor|author=Roxana Fleșeru|date=16 November 2011|language=ro}} She contributed more than half her team's hits. Three World Cup podiums in Budapest, Havana, and Rio de Janeiro, allowed her to reach the 6th place in FIE rankings.
In 2012, Gherman won the gold in the European Championships after prevailing over teammate Măroiu.{{cite web|url=http://www.prosport.ro/alte-sporturi/alte-sporturi/campioanele-din-castel-dubla-de-vis-simona-gherman-a-cucerit-aurul-anca-maroiu-argintul-9751147|title=Dublă de vis: Simona Gherman a cucerit aurul, Anca Măroiu argintul|author=Andru Nenciu, Mirela Basescu|work=ProSport|date=15 June 2012|language=ro}} Along with a podium in the Barcelona World Cup tournament, this result pushed her to the 5th place in FIE rankings, a personal best as of 2014. In the London 2012 Olympics, she was defeated 15–14 in the quarter-finals by Ukraine's Yana Shemyakina, who eventually earned the gold medal.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gh/simona-gherman-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417201131/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gh/simona-gherman-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Simona Gherman Olympic Results |accessdate=2012-06-06 |work=sports-reference.com}} Top-seeded Romania was also defeated 45–38 by 10th-ranked South Korea in the quarter-finals and failed to earn a medal either. Gherman then decided to take a break from her career.{{cite web|url=http://www.dolce-sport.ro/sporturi/scrima/ana-maria-br-nz-ncearc-s-i-conving-colegele-s-nu-se-retrag-iat-argumentul-s-u-18516/|title=Ana-Maria Brânză încearcă să-și convingă colegele să nu se retragă|work=Dolce Sport|date=1 February 2013|language=Romanian}}
In December 2013, Gherman gave birth to a daughter named Ioana Teodora.{{cite web|url=http://www.gsp.ro/sporturi/altele/se-intoarce-la-scrima-simona-gherman-revine-in-competitiile-oficiale-dupa-ce-a-devenit-mama-423996.html|title= Simona Gherman revine în competiţiile oficiale după ce a devenit mamă|author=Roxana Fleșeru|work=Gazeta Sporturilor|date=17 April 2014|language=ro}} She announced in April 2014 that she would return to fencing and be reintegrated into the national team. A few weeks later she won the Romanian national championship after defeating 15–12 in the final team mate and world No.1 Ana Maria Brânză.{{cite web|url=http://www.prosport.ro/alte-sporturi/scrima/revenire-de-aur-pentru-simona-gherman-a-invins-o-in-finala-campionatului-national-de-spada-pe-ana-maria-branza-cu-15-12-12616563|title=Revenire de aur pentru Simona Gherman|author=Cezara Paraschiv|work=ProSport|date=9 May 2014|language=ro}} She failed to qualify to the main table of 64 in the Rio de Janeiro World Cup, the first international competition after her comeback, but won a bronze medal a few days later in the Havana Grand Prix.{{cite web|url=http://www.prosport.ro/alte-sporturi/scrima/simona-gherman-locul-trei-la-grand-prix-ul-de-la-havana-12648441|title=Simona Gherman, locul trei la Grand Prix-ul de la Havana|author=Leila Bolat|work=ProSport|date=24 May 2014|language=ro}}
At the European Championships in Strasbourg, she reached the semifinal, defeating reigning European champion Ana Brânză and reigning Olympic champion Yana Shemyakina along the way. She lost 9–15 to Marie-Florence Candassamy from hosts France to finish with a bronze medal.{{cite web|url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Escrime/Actualites/Deux-nouvelles-medailles/472148|title=Championnats d'Europe d'escrime: les femmes apportent deux nouvelles médailles|work=L'Équipe|author=Patrick Issert|date=8 June 2014|language=fr}} In the team competition, No.2 seed Romania received a bye, then disposed of Ukraine 45–31 and met Italy in the semifinals. Gherman both opened and closed for her team, scoring four hits in a row against Rossella Fiamingo in the last relay to win 29–24. In the final against No.1 seed Russia, Gherman entered the last leg on 26 all and defeated Lyubov Shutova 12–8 to bring Romania their 5th gold medal.{{cite web|url=http://www.gsp.ro/sporturi/altele/chinta-de-aur-echipa-feminina-de-spada-a-urcat-ieri-la-strasbourg-pentru-a-cincea-oara-pe-primul-loc-la-europene-427960.html|title=Chintă de aur|work=Gazeta Sporturilor|author=Roxana Fleșeru|date=13 June 2014|language=ro}} At the World Championships in Kazan, Gherman prevailed easily over Magdalena Piekarska of Poland, but was stopped 14–15 in the second round by 2008 Olympic champion Britta Heidemann, who eventually earned the bronze medal. In the team event, Romania prevailed over Germany, but were defeated in the table of 8 by Italy and exited the tournament with no medal.
In the 2014–15 season, Gherman won her first World Cup title at the Doha Grand Prix, after defeating Estonia's Erika Kirpu in the final.{{cite web|url=http://www.gsp.ro/sporturi/altele/simona-gherman-s-a-impus-in-grand-prix-ul-de-la-doha-primul-succes-440057.html|title=Simona Gherman s-a impus în Grand Prix-ul de la Doha|author=Roxana Fleșeru|newspaper=Gazeta Sporturilor|date=7 December 2014|language=ro}} In Barcelona, she was eliminated in the table of 16 by Russia's Tatyana Andryushina, but she was instrumental in Romania's bronze medal in the team event, first bridging the points gap, then striking the decisive hit in the “small final” against Russia.{{cite web|url=http://www.prosport.ro/alte-sporturi/alte-sporturi/romania-a-cucerit-bronzul-in-primul-concurs-de-spada-al-anului-fetele-au-invins-rusia-la-cupa-mondiala-de-la-barcelona-13784870|title=România a cucerit bronzul în primul concurs de spadă al anului|author=Mirela Basescu|newspaper=ProSport|date=15 January 2015|language=Romanian}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://archive.today/20130221210338/http://www.nahouw.net/rnk_rfn/7127/ALEXANDRU_Simona.html Profile at Nahouw]
- [http://www.eurofencing.info/athletes/biography/simona-alexandru Profile] at the European Fencing Confederation
{{Footer Olympic Champions Fencing Women Team Épée}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gherman, Simona}}
Category:Romanian female fencers
Category:Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Category:Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic fencers for Romania
Category:Fencers from Bucharest
Category:Romanian épée fencers
Category:Fencers at the 2015 European Games
Category:European Games medalists in fencing
Category:European Games gold medalists for Romania
Category:European Games bronze medalists for Romania
Category:Olympic gold medalists for Romania
Category:Olympic medalists in fencing