Romanian women’s table tennis team claims historic bronze medal at World Championships
Romania’s women’s table tennis team secured a bronze medal at the 2026 World Championships in London, marking the country’s first podium finish at the tournament in 26 years. The Romanian team was eliminated in the semifinals by defending…
Irina Marica · Journalist
· Updated · 1 min read
Romania’s women’s table tennis team secured a bronze medal at the 2026 World Championships in London, marking the country’s first podium finish at the tournament in 26 years. The Romanian team was eliminated in the semifinals by defending champions China, who won the match 3-0.
The Romanian team consisted of Bernadette Szocs, Elizabeta Samara, Andreea Dragoman, Adina Diaconu, and Elena Zaharia.
In a post on social media, the Romanian Table Tennis Federation described the result as a historic achievement coinciding with its 100th anniversary.
In Saturday’s semifinal, Elizabeta Samara lost to world number one Sun Yingsha in straight sets, while Bernadette Szocs was defeated by Wang Manyu after two closely contested sets. Andreea Dragoman also lost her match against Kuai Man.
Romania reached the semifinals after defeating South Korea 3-2 and Taiwan 3-1 in the group stage, before eliminating the Netherlands, Egypt, and France in the knockout rounds.
Romania’s last women’s team medal at a World Championship came in 2000 in Kuala Lumpur.
(Photo source: Facebook/Federația Română de Tenis de Masă)
