Elisabeta Lipă

Who is Elisabeta Lipă?

Elisabeta Lipă is a retired rower from Romania. She is the most decorated rower in the history of the Olympics, winning five gold, two silver and one bronze medals. She holds the record amongst rowers for the most years between gold medals, at 20 years.

Lipă debuted at the age of 19 at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, where she won her first gold medal in the double sculls event. She won her most recent gold medal in the eight-oared boat at the Athens Summer Olympics in 2004. She is the only person to win a gold medal in the two premiere rowing events: the single scull and the eight oared boat. She is also one of very few women to win a gold medal in both a sculling and a sweep event.

In 2004, she became the first female rower to compete at six Olympics. This was first done by Czech rower Jiri Ptak in 1992 and equalled in 2008 by Canadian Lesley Thompson, Estonian Jüri Jaanson, and Australian James Tomkins.

She was awarded the 2008 Thomas Keller Medal at the Rowing World Cup in Lucerne.