Magdalena Rusu became Romania’s rowing gold medalist at the Paris Olympics because her mother chose life at a difficult time

AlexandraNadane.ro — “I love rowing, but I love God more,” says Magdalena Rusu, multiple Romanian rowing champion. She won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 8+1 competition. Only 24 years old, she has an impressive medal collection: she became the European champion with the 8+1 team in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

In addition, she won the silver medal with a four-rowing crew in 2023 and the gold medal with a four- rowing crew in 2023. In 2022 and 2023 she became world champion with the 8+1 team.

Magdalena’s success is due to an extraordinary gesture of support from her older sister, who encouraged their mother to give birth to her.

Magdalena’s sister Alina recalls: “I encouraged our mother to keep the baby. She was already in her 40s and considered an old woman in her rural area, so she felt ashamed. ‘There’s nothing to be ashamed of in bringing her into the world,’ I told her. ‘All right, if you stand by me, I’ll go ahead,’ she told me”.

Shame is a common reason for abortions: What will people say that I’m in this or that situation?… that I’m pregnant in my 40s, while my 20-year-old daughter is also pregnant?

But, with her eldest daughter’s support, Magdalena Rusu’s mother chose to give birth to today’s Olympic champion. Now, the whole family and all Romanians are rejoicing over her gold medal at the Paris Olympics!

“St. Mary Magdalene protects both Magdalena and my son”, says Alina about the two joys of her life, her younger sister and her son, who were both born around the same time.  “I helped my mom and she helped me. We had two babies and two cribs at the same time. A year later, Mom had another baby, our little brother. They all grew up together.”

In an interview for Trinitas TV, the television channel of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate, Magdalena shares her testimony and talks about how much God has helped her on her life’s journey: “I had a two-year period when I had no results. I would call my mother crying, but my mother kept telling me: ‘Be patient and God will arrange everything'”.

Magdalena began to lose patience, but she didn’t lose hope. When she reached the Seniors, the medals started coming one after another: “I started growing more and more – so much that I was amazed. My development was extraordinary, so I learned to be patient and trust that God truly arranges everything,” she confesses.

The video interview with Magdalena Rusu is here:

Please see the English subtitles by clicking the CC button and then choosing the “automatic subtitling” option.