Romania’s Para judo star Bologa wants to write a “beautiful story” at Paris 2024

Romania’s two-time Paralympian Florin Alexandru Bologa says Para judo gave him a “direction in life” and that the sport allowed him to write his own story. When he stepped on the tatami mat for the first time, Bologa felt he had found a place where he belonged.

More than 10 years since his first competition, the 28-year-old judoka has continued to embrace that “special place.” Bologa, the world No. 1 in the J1 -73kg rankings, aims to win his maiden gold medal at Paris 2024.

“This is an incredible feeling. I’ve been world No. 1 since 2019, and looking back, I see that all my hard work and sacrifices are paying off,” he said. “I am grateful for everything that has happened to me, everything I have had the opportunity to experience, and the people I have met.

“Being No. 1 in the world is a pride but also a responsibility.”

Writing his own story

Para judo was not the first sport that Bologa tried after he lost his vision when he was six years old.

“It was hard for my family to accept that I would never be able to see again. But I got over it easily. When you are a child, in your innocence, you accept various situations more easily,” Bologa said. “To me, it was not a tragedy. I continued to live my life in the most beautiful way possible.”

“I went to Cluj-Napoca, located 120km from home, to study at a special school. There, I started practicing my first sport, swimming, before I discovered judo,” he recalled.

While he did not think he would grow up to become a Paralympian, a life-changing event occurred when he was 16. Salvia Marion Wood-Lamont, president of the Romanian Paralympic Committee, launched a programme to find young talent in Para judo.

“I was a high school student at the Special School for the Visually Impaired in Cluj-Napoca when I was spotted by Csokasi Eniko and Gianina Andreica, the two coaches sent to make the selection. At that time, three students were selected, but the rest dropped out along the way.

“Until then, I didn’t know what judo meant. But when I stepped on the tatami for the first time, I felt something special. I felt I had found my place – my happy place.

“Since then, judo has given me a direction in life. It helped me to become independent and to write my own story. Also this sport gave me the opportunity to meet Tomi (Tamas Ghergely), my coach, who is very important in my life. We have been through so many battles together, and I am grateful for everything. Without him, my life wouldn’t be the same.”

Happy place

Ghergely and Bologa have been training together for over 10 years, since Gergely helped pioneer the Romanian Paralympic judo programme in 2012. 

Ghergely, who took the role from Eniko and Andreica, initially found it challenging to coach Bologa because he did not have the experience of working with athletes with vision impairment. 

“I gained experience going to training camps and competitions, meeting other experienced coaches around the world. Since then, I have loved working with them, especially with Alex. He is also an example for us, doing all this work with devotion and ambition.

“Personally, I love working with him. He is an important part of my life, not only in the dojo.”

Bologa’s first judo competition was The Northern Cup in Baia Mare, Romania, in 2012. Four years later, he made his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016, competing in the men’s -60 kg division. 

He took the bronze medal and shared the podium with gold medallist Sherzod Namozov of Uzbekistan, silver medallist Makoto Hirose of Japan, and Mongolia’s Uugankhuu Bolormaa, who also finished with a bronze.

“When I won the bronze medal at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, it was at that moment when I told myself, ‘I can! Impossible is nothing,” said Bologa, who also took a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

A golden story in Paris

In 2023, Bologa topped the podium in the men’s -73kg J1 category at the European Para Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, as he continues his quest for a maiden Paralympic gold medal.

The Paris 2024 Paralympics, which take place between 28 August and 8 September, will feature 14 medal events in Para judo. Competitions will be staged in the Champ de Mars Arena, a beautiful venue located in the heart of Paris.

While Bologa has faced many athletes over the years, he said his biggest rivals at Paris 2024 would likely be Namozov of Uzbekistan and Vugar Shirinli of Azerbaijan. But the Romanian judoka says that nothing is impossible.

“It would probably be one of the happiest days of my life because I would fulfill my biggest dream in sport,” he said.

In the long term, Bologa wants to become a judo coach to help athletes succeed in the sport that changed his life.

“My biggest motivation is the opportunity to write a beautiful story.”