{{short description|Romanian fencer}} {{Infobox fencer | name = Maria Udrea | image = Maria Udrea team 2013 Fencing WCH t091644.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Udrea at the 2013 World Fencing Championships | birth_name = | fullname = Maria Ruxandra Udrea | nickname = | nationality = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|11|23|df=yes}} | birth_place = Bucharest, Romania | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | country = {{ROU}} | weapon = Épée | hand = Left-handed | club = CSA Steaua București | natlcoach = Dan Podeanu | headcoach = {{plainlist| *Gheorghe Epurescu *Cornel Milan *Octavian Zidaru (previous)}} | fieranking = [https://fie.org/athletes/15423 current ranking] | medaltemplates = {{MedalCompetition|World Championships}} {{MedalBronze|2013 Budapest|Team épée}} {{MedalCompetition|European Championships}} {{MedalGold|2014 Strasbourg |Team épée}} {{MedalSilver |2013 Zagreb |Team épée}} }}
'''Maria Ruxandra Udrea''' (born 23 Novembre 1990) is a Romanian épée fencer. She won a team silver medal in the 2013 European Fencing Championships in Zagreb and a bronze medal in the 2013 World Fencing Championships in Budapest.
==Biography== Udrea's first sports were swimming and tennis.<ref name="ADE">{{cite web|url=http://adevarul.ro/news/bucuresti/bucuresti-ruxandra-maria-udrea-muschetar-zilelor-noastre-1_50bdfe7b7c42d5a663d17b35/index.html|title=Ruxandra Maria Udrea - un muschetar al zilelor noastre|editor=Adevarul|date=6 August 2009|language=ro}}</ref> She discovered fencing at the age of seven at Olimpia Bucharest, and took to the sport. She first competed in foil.<ref name="LIB">{{cite web|url=http://www.libertatea.ro/detalii/articol/frumoasa-inteapa-libertatea-prezinta-maria-udrea-marea-speranta-scrimei-feminine-romanesti-445675.html|title=E frumoasă şi înţeapă! Libertatea v-o prezintă pe Maria Udrea, marea speranţă a scrimei feminine româneşti|work=Libertatea|author=Marian Valentin Burlacu|date=1 May 2013|language=ro}}</ref> In this weapon, she won a silver medal in the 2008 Cadet European Championships at Novi Sad, a gold medal in the Junior World Cup in 2009, a bronze medal in the Junior European Championships at Odense that same year, and a silver medal in the 2010 Romanian Championship.<ref name="ADE" /><ref name="LIB" />
In the 2008–09 season, she joined the national senior team, which placed 4th in the World Championships in Antalya after being defeated by Italy in the semi-final, then by Germany in the match for the bronze medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realitatea.net/nationala-feminina-de-floreta-locul-patru-la-mondialele-de-scrima_634927.html|title=Naţionala feminină de floretă, locul patru la Mondialele de scrimă|editor=Realitatea|date=7 October 2009|language=ro}}</ref> The year after, Romania were knocked out by Venezuela in the first round of the World Championships in Paris.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prosport.ro/alte-sporturi/alte-sporturi/echipa-feminin-de-floreta-a-romaniei-eliminata-in-16-imi-la-cm-de-scrima-7705274|title=Echipa feminin de floretă a României, eliminată în 16-imi la CM de scrimă|editor=ProSport|date=10 November 2010}}</ref> The lack of results and funds pushed the Romanian Fencing Federation into dissolving the national foil team in early 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sport.hotnews.ro/stiri-alte_sporturi-8271171-lotul-olimpic-floreta-fost-desfiintat.htm|title=Lotul olimpic de floreta a fost desfiintat|author=L.A|work=Hotnews.ro|date=4 February 2011}}</ref> Udrea then turned to épée.<ref name="LIB" />
Udrea joined the national Romanian épée team after the reshuffling that followed the London 2012 Summer Olympics. In December 2012 she won the gold medal in the Belgrade Trophy, a satellite event of the Fencing World Cup.<ref name="LIB" /> In 2013, she earned a bronze in the team competition of the Saint-Maur World Cup. With her club, CSA Steaua București, she ranked second in the European Cup in Naples.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sptfm.ro/2013/03/25/scrima-spadasinele-de-la-steaua-argint-la-cupa-europei/|title=Scrima – Spadasinele de la Steaua, argint la Cupa Europei|date=25 March 2013|editor=Sport Total|language=ro|access-date=12 May 2014|archive-date=4 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104124205/http://sptfm.ro/2013/03/25/scrima-spadasinele-de-la-steaua-argint-la-cupa-europei/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In March 2013, she won a silver medal in the Romanian national championship after being defeated in the final by teammate Ana Maria Brânză, with which she won a team gold medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.agerpres.ro/media/index.php/sport/item/194618-Spada-feminin-Ana-Maria-Branza-Era-important-ca-titlul-sa-ramana-la-CSA-Steaua.html|title=Spadă feminin: Ana Maria Brânză - Era important ca titlul să rămână la CSA Steaua|editor=Agerpres|date=10 May 2013|language=ro|access-date=12 May 2014|archive-date=29 June 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629184912/http://www.agerpres.ro/media/index.php/sport/item/194618-Spada-feminin-Ana-Maria-Branza-Era-important-ca-titlul-sa-ramana-la-CSA-Steaua.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In July, Udrea won a silver team medal with Brânză, Simona Pop and Amalia Tătăran in the 2013 European Championships in Zagreb. In the 2013 World Championships at Budapest, she was defeated in the table of 32 by Italy's Rossella Fiamingo, but earned the team bronze. She ended up 47th in the 2012–13 Fencing World Cup.
In the 2013–14 season, Udrea was selected as reserve for the 2014 European Championships in Strasbourg. In the individual event, she was stopped in the table of 64 by France's Marie-Florence Candassamy, who eventually won the silver medal. In the team competition, No.2 seed Romania received a bye, then disposed of Ukraine 45–31, beat Italy 29–24 in the semi-final and overcame Russia 38–34 in a very tight and tactical final, allowing Udrea to win her first international gold medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ouest-france.fr/escrime-championnats-deurope-la-roumanie-sacree-lepee-dames-2615875|title=Championnats d'Europe : la Roumanie sacrée à l'épée dames|editor=AFP|language=French|date=12 June 2014}}</ref> Udrea did not compete in the World Championships in Kazan as Ana Maria Constantin was selected as reserve in her place.
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Udrea, Maria}} Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:Fencers from Bucharest Category:Romanian female épée fencers Category:21st-century Romanian sportswomen Category:World Fencing Championships medalists