Romania’s Madalina Amaistroaie living the Olympic dream in Tokyo

On the world‘s biggest stage, Madalina Amaistroaie remains as nonchalant as ever. 

The 18-year-old from Romania dismissed the significance of last month’s final Olympic qualifier – “I guess it’s important” – and then proceeded to win the recurve women’s competition to book one of the last five quota places remaining for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

Shooting during practice at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field on Wednesday, Amaistroaie continued to maintain a cool demeanour, insisting once again that she was loose and serene.

“It feels amazing,” Amaistroaie said. “I am even more relaxed than then because I achieved my goal.”

No Romanian woman had qualified for the Olympics before Amaistroaie, though in the pre-quota era – most recently at Moscow 1980 – they did compete.

Yet the world number 18 continues to exhibit a casual outlook on her appearance at the event. Amaistroaie said she doesn’t expect shooting in the arena for every match to be any different than previous competitions.

And she’s had experience in front of the cameras now, making the final four at the Hyundai Archery World Cup season opener in Guatemala City – and then impressing while booking her Tokyo ticket in Paris.

Gold medals are often won by archers making their debut at the Olympics. Could that bode well for Amaistroaie?

“Yes, why not?” she said “I’ve trained so hard for this, and now I’m here. I think that I will anyhow do my best.”

She did, however, allow herself a moment to admire the Olympic rings that adorn the stadium. 

“I’m living my dream,” she said. “Everything from here is only getting better.”

The archery competitions at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games start with qualifying on 23 July 2021.