Closing a 33-Year Circle in Romanian Swimming

33 years. That's how long it had been since I last competed in a Romanian swimming pool. Last weekend, at the National Masters Swimming Championship in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, I stepped back on those blocks — representing Aqua Sport Galați, a masters club in my home town of Galați. Six events across two days. Saturday morning: 200m breaststroke. Saturday afternoon, three races in 45 minutes — 50m breaststroke (silver 🥈), 50m freestyle, and 200m IM, closing with a personal best in a 50m pool. Sunday morning, two races in 30 minutes: a new 50m pool PR in the 100m freestyle, followed by the 100m breaststroke. Five gold medals, one silver. Days later, I'm still processing it. The times mattered. Personal bests always matter. But that wasn't what made this weekend different. What came back to me on that pool deck wasn't technique or tactics. It was faces. Hostiuc Rodica — my first coach, the one who looked at a nine-year-old in a beginner's class in Galați and decided he was worth the time. Mircea Dragu (God rest his soul 🕊️) — the coach who built the breaststroke mechanics I still swim with today, more than thirty years later. My mom, Liliana Oancea, who drove me to those early morning practices when neither of us fully understood where they might lead. Luisiana Bigea — teammate then, teammate again now — who made this return to Romanian competition possible. And always, Luciana — my wife, my friend, my personal coach, and my manager — who sometimes believes in me more than I believe in myself. ❤️ Some journeys don't end. They come full circle. The water never forgets. And neither do I. 🌊 Next up in the Netherlands: the Open Dutch Masters Championships, November 26–29. Then the horizon that's been driving everything since Singapore: Budapest 2027.