Every day starts the same: the pool, intense training and the desire to be better than yesterday. For Eliza Diamandescu, swimming is not just a sport, but a journey that began at the age of six and has been followed with a rare determination. Today, after more than a decade of performance, the young swimmer is one of the country's most promising athletes and is included in the national campaign "100 Youngsters for Romania's Development", run by the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania.
A member of the Euro Swimming Bucharest Club, under the guidance of coach Andrei Rusen, Eliza has built her reputation through ambition, discipline and a constant evolution from one competition to another. In more than 11 years of swimming performance and more than 70 national and international competitions, her record has become impressive: over 450 medals, most of them gold, best results trophies and "best athlete" titles.
Over the years, Eliza became municipal, national and international champion in different age categories and set dozens of municipal and national records, confirming her status as the top athlete of her generation. A defining moment of her career came in 2022, a spectacular year for the swimmer. At the National Championships in Bacău, Eliza achieved a historic performance: 21 medals won in a single competition - 11 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze. Moreover, she became Romania's overall champion in the 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle, dominating all age categories - juniors, youth and seniors.
In the same year, the athlete broke six national records and her performances attracted the attention of the sporting community. Eliza was included in the Romanian Junior Olympic Team, representing the country at major international competitions. At the Multinations Youth Swimming Meet in Cyprus, the young swimmer won four gold medals and a silver medal, including setting the competition record in the 400m mixed. She also set two new national records in the 400m freestyle and 800m freestyle, one of them breaking a record that had stood for 34 years.
The international experiences continued at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Slovakia, where, at just 14, Eliza placed in the top six European athletes in the 400m mixed, 400m freestyle and 800m freestyle - a result considered extremely promising for her debut in such a competition.
But success doesn't come without sacrifice. Eliza trains intensively, with 10-11 training sessions a week, and every session in the pool is another step towards the dream that motivates her every day: to become one of the best swimmers in Europe and one day represent Romania at the Olympic Games. Her motto in life is: "Always go to sleep with a dream and wake up with a purpose".
By including her in the "100 Youngsters for Romania's Development" campaign, the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania brings to the fore not only the impressive performances of an exceptional sportswoman, but also a model of discipline, courage and perseverance for the new generation. Eliza Diamandescu's story is just beginning - if the pace of her performances so far is any sign, Romania could soon have a new reference name in European swimming.
