PERFORMANCE IS A JOINT EFFORT. FOR MY BIRTHDAY, I WANT TO BE THERE FOR OUR FUTURE CHAMPIONS.

Dear friends,

Every medal I have carried around my neck carries the imprint of the people who have been by my side from childhood to this day: my parents, my grandmother, my coach, my teachers, my friends, and my fellow athletes. Just like in classical tales, where the hero meets helpers on his journey to victory, I too have had them by my side, gaining strength from each one of them in order to to build my own. The person I am today is shaped not only by what I have achieved on my own, through my own efforts, but also by all the good that the people around me have brought into my life.

Today, I want to talk to you about the children and the youngsters included in the DAR Scholarships program, whom I met at Hope and Homes for Children: exceptional young talents who, at the start of their journey, possess all the inner resources to pursue their dreams. Despite financial hardships or other obstacles in their life, these remarkable children have shown they have the potential to conquer the world, each in the field of their choice, be it sports, science, or the arts. But to get there, they need strong support by their side, people who stand by them through actions and words, constantly showing them that the world is a good and a safe place- a place where their future can truly look brighter.

That’s why this year I am dedicating my birthday to the DAR scholars, and I invite you to join me by making a donation- a symbolic gesture that means more than any conventional gift ever could.

🏆 I am turning my gifts into a present for Laur, honoring all the effort he has put in to reach the European Karate Championships, as well as the care his foster mother gives him.

✒️ For Dragoș, a young poet, brilliant in English, who wants to swim with me, even though he lives with tetraparesis. And I will swim with him.

🎵 For Ana, who, despite lacking basic living conditions, practices piano and violin and takes daily singing lessons so as to be able to perform on the biggest stages. But before she can have a soundproof room for rehearsals, she needs a functional bathroom.

They are our future champions. And they deserve to feel that someone believes in them- that someone has understood their past and is helping shape their future. I invite you to applaud them together, as strongly as I know you applaud at every competition. This time, the strongest applause takes the form of donations, turning into tangible support for training or competitions, for equipment or instruments.

Performance is a joint effort. Let’s show them that no matter how difficult their start in life, their hard work and the support of those around them can rewrite their future!