Dumitru Pârvulescu
Encyclopedia
Dumitru Pârvulescu (or, in older spelling
, Pîrvulescu; June 14, 1933 in Lugoj, Timiş County
— 2006 in Bucharest
) was a Romania
n Greco-Roman style
wrestler and Olympic
champion.
and (for the most part) Steaua Bucharest.
His international debut was in an international tournament in East Berlin
(1951) where he finished second. His Olympic debut (Helsinki 1952) was less successful (2 defeats, 9th place). He narrowly missed the podium in the World Championship in Naples
, 1953 (4th place, losing only to World champion Ahmet Bilek
of Turkey
). He also finished 4th in the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne
,and then 6th in the World Championship in Budapest
, 1958.
Many were sceptic about how he would fare at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome
. However, after victories against wrestlers from the US, Japan and Yugoslavia and a draw against the Soviet representative, Pârvulescu found himself facing one of the hosts’sporting heroes, the deaf wrestler Ignazio Fabbra, one of the undisputed stars of the 52 kg category, in the gold medal bout. The Romanian’s intelligent tactics secured him a narrow points victory and the Olympic title.
Pârvulescu went on to win silver in the World Championship in Yokohama
, 1961 and bronze in the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo
. Losing to Gheorghe Berceanu in the Romanian championship finally persuaded him to retire “from the mat” and become a coach.
. He was also a mentor and confident of World and Olympic 48 kg champion Gheorghe Berceanu.
Romanian alphabet
The Romanian alphabet is a modification of the Latin alphabet and consists of 31 letters:The letters Q , W , and Y were officially introduced in the Romanian alphabet in 1982, although they had been used earlier...
, Pîrvulescu; June 14, 1933 in Lugoj, Timiş County
Timis County
Timiș , , Banat Bulgarian: ) is a county of western Romania, in the historical region Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the largest county in Romania in terms of land area....
— 2006 in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
) was a Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n Greco-Roman style
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
wrestler and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
champion.
Sporting career
He took up wrestling at a very young age, with the “Vulturii” club in Lugoj. During his career he would also represent the following clubs: “Ştiinţa” Bucharest, “Steagul Roşu” BraşovBrasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
and (for the most part) Steaua Bucharest.
His international debut was in an international tournament in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
(1951) where he finished second. His Olympic debut (Helsinki 1952) was less successful (2 defeats, 9th place). He narrowly missed the podium in the World Championship in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, 1953 (4th place, losing only to World champion Ahmet Bilek
Ahmet Bilek
Ahmet Bilek , was a Turkish Olympic champion sports wrestler in the flyweight class and a trainer...
of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
). He also finished 4th in the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
,and then 6th in the World Championship in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, 1958.
Many were sceptic about how he would fare at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. However, after victories against wrestlers from the US, Japan and Yugoslavia and a draw against the Soviet representative, Pârvulescu found himself facing one of the hosts’sporting heroes, the deaf wrestler Ignazio Fabbra, one of the undisputed stars of the 52 kg category, in the gold medal bout. The Romanian’s intelligent tactics secured him a narrow points victory and the Olympic title.
Pârvulescu went on to win silver in the World Championship in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, 1961 and bronze in the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Losing to Gheorghe Berceanu in the Romanian championship finally persuaded him to retire “from the mat” and become a coach.
Coaching career
Dumitru Pârvulescu coached for Steaua Bucharest and subsequently for L.C. “Vulcan” Bucharest. In addition, he was often commissioned by the Romanian wrestling Federation to select talented youngsters from various parts of the country. Pârvulescu was credited with coaching World champion and Olympic silver medalist Constantin Alexandru and with discovering a young talent who would become 1984 Olympic champion in the 100 kg category Vasile AndreiVasile Andrei
Vasile Andrei is a Romanian wrestler and Olympic Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Olympics:Andrei competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and received a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, the heavyweight class.-References:...
. He was also a mentor and confident of World and Olympic 48 kg champion Gheorghe Berceanu.
Distinctions
In 2004, the Romanian Presidency awarded Pârvulescu and other former Olympians the National “Faithful Service” Order, the highest civilian distinction in Romania.External links
- http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp 1960 Olympic medal winners in Greco-Roman wrestling (on the IOC website)
- http://www.gov-sport.ro/unlimitpages.asp?id=767 Dumitru Pârvulescu obituary on the Romanian National Sports Agency website (ro icon)