Romanian athlete Ramona Verman secured the first senior international title of her career on Sunday after winning the women’s long jump event at the Balkan Athletics Championships in Volos, Greece.
The 22-year-old athlete from Bacău, who is still eligible to compete in the Under-23 category, produced a personal-best jump of 6.78 meters to claim the gold medal and the Balkan senior title.
Representing Romania and trained by Aura Balaban at CSM Bacău, Verman improved on her previous personal record of 6.72 meters, set earlier this year during the World Indoor Championships in Poland, where she achieved an impressive sixth-place finish among senior competitors.
Verman finished ahead of fellow Romanian Alina Rotaru-Kottmann, who took silver with a jump of 6.64 meters, while Filippa Fotopoulou of Cyprus claimed bronze with 6.54 meters.
The victory marks a significant step forward for the reigning European Under-23 champion. At last year’s Balkan Championships, also held in Volos, Verman earned the bronze medal, while Rotaru-Kottmann captured the title.
Sunday’s triumph further confirms Verman’s status as one of Romania’s most promising athletics talents and provides a major confidence boost ahead of this summer’s European Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
With a new personal best and her first senior international gold medal, Verman continues her rapid rise on the European athletics stage as she prepares to make the transition from Under-23 competition to the senior elite level.
