ATHLETES from Moldova

Top 6

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Moldovan Athletes of all time. This list of famous Moldovan Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Lia Manoliu (1932 - 1998)

With an HPI of 52.73, Lia Manoliu is the most famous Moldovan Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages on wikipedia.

Lia Manoliu (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈli.a manoˈli.u]; 25 April 1932 – 9 January 1998) was a Romanian discus thrower who won one gold and two bronze Olympic medals. She was the first track and field athlete to compete at six Olympics (1952–1972).

2. Tudor Casapu (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 39.28, Tudor Casapu is the 2nd most famous Moldovan Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Tudor Casapu (born 18 September 1963) is a Moldovan weightlifter, World Champion and Olympic Champion. He won a gold medal at the 1990 World Weightlifting Championships, and a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

3. Natalia Valeeva (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 37.58, Natalia Valeeva is the 3rd most famous Moldovan Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Natalia Valeeva (born 15 November 1969 in Tîrnauca, Transnistria) is a naturalized Italian archer. She is a five-time Olympian and former world number one, and a native of Moldova, having represented the Unified Team, Moldova and Italy, at the Olympic Games of 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. She won the individual and team bronze medals in the 1992 Olympic Games.

4. Sergiu Toma (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 27.86, Sergiu Toma is the 4th most famous Moldovan Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Sergiu Toma (born 29 January 1987) is a Moldovan-born Emirati judoka. He competed for the United Arab Emirates in the 81 kg category at the 2016 Olympic Games and defeated Takanori Nagase to enter the semi-finals. He lost his semi-final match to Khasan Khalmurzaev, but then beat Matteo Marconcini in the bronze medal match. At the 2008 and 2012 Olympics he competed for Moldova but was eliminated in the early rounds.Toma has a law degree from the Moldova State University. In 2008, he considered retiring from sport due to financial problems. He stayed, and in 2011 was named Moldovan Athlete of the Year. After the 2012 Olympics he moved to the United Arab Emirates, together with five other Moldovan judoka and the national coach Vasile Colta.

5. Alexandra Camenșcic (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 24.51, Alexandra Camenșcic is the 5th most famous Moldovan Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Alexandra Camenscic (born 28 August 1988) is a Moldovan cross-country skier who has competed since 2009. She finished 71st in the 10 km event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.Brice finished 84th in the individual sprint event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec. Her best career finish was tenth in a 7.5 km mass start event at Slovakia in 2009.

6. Cristina Iovu (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 22.80, Cristina Iovu is the 6th most famous Moldovan Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Cristina Iovu (born 8 November 1992) is a Moldovan–born Azerbaijani-Romanian weightlifter competing in the –53 kg division. She is banned by the International Weightlifting Federation until 2026 for Blood substitution.