Judoka Alex Bologa, 20, won the first medal for Romania at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, on Thursday, September 8.

The visually impaired Romanian athlete won bronze in the men’s 60kg category in the judo competition after defeating Uruguayan Henry Borges in the decisive match. This is Alex Bologa’s first medal.

In the last sixteen round, Alex Bologa obtained the first victory against Korean Lee Minjae. Then, he defeated Algeria’s world champion Mouloud Noura in the quarterfinals, but lost to Japanese Makoto Hirose in the semifinals.

Romania currently ranks 33rd in the overall medal ranking after Alex Bologa’s win. China ranks first with a total of 20 medals.

The 2016 Paralympic Games started on September 7 in Rio de Janeiro, with 12 athletes representing Romania.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Comitetul National Paralimpic on Facebook)