Cătălina Stănescu, aged just 12, is already a prominent figure in Romanian figure skating. She has twice been crowned National Champion and double European Champion in the children's category, having participated in a number of prestigious international competitions. Recently, Stănescu joined the campaign "100 Youngsters for Romania's Development", which is being organised at national level by the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania.
In the five years since she began competing in figure skating at the high-performance level, Cătălina has achieved remarkable success on the international stage, representing Romania. She has secured first place on the podium at the European Criterium, a prominent figure skating competition for children, on two consecutive occasions, and has also been the youngest competitor in her age category on both occasions. These noteworthy achievements have elevated Romania to a prominent position on the international figure skating performance map.
In Romania, Cătălina has twice become National Champion, thereby consolidating her status as an elite athlete. Despite residing in Bucharest, where there is no skating rink suitable for performance training, she has managed to train and develop in unsuitable conditions, utilising the rinks in shopping centres. This challenge has not discouraged her, but rather has served to reinforce her ambition to achieve her goals.
The inaugural international competition in which she participated was the Sofia Trophy 2020, in which, at the tender age of eight, she secured the top position. "At that point, I became aware that my role extended beyond that of an individual competitor to encompass representing my country, Romania," states Cătălina. Over the course of her five-year career, Cătălina has participated in 27 competitions, 14 of which were international, and has consistently secured a podium position.
In addition to her talent on the ice, Cătălina is also an exceptional student: she graduated 5th grade with an average of 9.75. She also won first place in the Religion Olympiad, county phase, proving that excellence doesn't stop at sport.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of her inaugural participation in figure skating competitions. Cătălina recalls her inaugural competition with great fondness, namely the Romania Cup 2019, which was organised by the Romanian Skating Federation. The young girl's talent was initially identified by her first ancestor, Monalisa Prodea, who subsequently exploited her abilities and established the foundations for her subsequent success. Since 2019, Cătălina has been coached by Andreea Ionescu-Pascu, under whose guidance she has continued to develop her technical abilities and achieve exceptional results.
Catalina Stănescu's story is proof that talent, sacrifice and hard work can contribute to success. This young champion represents the future of figure skating in Romania and is a role model for young people who dream of reaching their full potential. On and off the ice, Cătălina Stănescu is one of the young people who have the potential to develop tomorrow's Romania.
The "100 Youngsters for Romania's Development" campaign was initiated with the intention of fostering national unity and identity. Its objective is to highlight the accomplishments of Romania's most distinguished children and young people, who have achieved renown on a national and international scale through their passion, dedication, and talent.
The 100 young people who have brought great credit to Romania and who have distinguished themselves through their exemplary performances will be included in the inaugural catalogue of Romanian excellence, which will be launched by the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania at the end of this year.
