Romanian swimmer Robert Glinta has announced his retirement from competitive swimming. Glinta, 25, was the 2020 European Champion in the 100 backstroke in long course meters, and until the emergence of David Popovici was the standard-bearer for Romanian swimming internationally.
The time has come for me to take a step back from competitive swimming.
Through highs and lows this sport has thaught me so much and truly made me grow into the more evolved human being I am today.
Whether it is pain or glory, failure or success, suffering or bliss, the amount of responsibility, discipline, dedication, ambition through hard work to achieve a goal and overcome adversity and obstacles, grew deep roots within myself that will forever stay with me.
None of it would have been possible without the people I worked with along the way. Each of them playing a huge role and leaving an important mark in my career and my life. For them, I cannot express my gratitude enough.
All the lovely memories and dear friends that this path has brought me, soul connections that go beyond the swimming life, make me feel that I won so much more than just some medals and trophies along the way.
To all the friends and fans I want to thank you for always showing your support and for believing in me no matter the situation.
The resources are exhausted and it is time to address and look after my own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, for I am just another human being afterall.
The time has come for me to take a step back from competitive swimming.
Glinta broke through in 2015 when he won the World Junior Championship in the 100 meter backstroke. He would go on to win four European Championship medals in short course, three in long course, and a Short Course World Championship in 2021 in the 100 backstroke.
He was one of the top contributors for Team Iron in the International Swimming League format. In the most recent season in 2021, he ranked 28th in the league in points scored with 224.50 (28 points/match). That made him Iron’s 3rd-best scorer, and top male scorer, en route to a 7th-place team finish. That included six event wins throughout the season.
Glinta had a brief collegiate career at USC in America in the 2017-2018 season where he qualified for the NCAA Championships and finished in 5th place in the 100 backstroke (he had the top time in prelims). He turned pro shortly thereafter. He ranks 2nd all-time in USC program history in the 100 back and the 200 back, and swam on the school record-setting 200 medley relay in 2018 along with Carsten Vissering, Dylan Carter, and Santo Condorelli.
A two-time Olympian, Glinta finished 8th in the 100 back in both 2016 and 2021. He was the male flag-bearer for Romania at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
His retirement comes as a youth movement sweeps through Romanian swimming. That is led by notably David Popovici, who broke the World Record in the 100 free last year at just 17-years old, but includes names like Vlad Stancu, Stefan Cozma, and Alexandru Constantinescu, who combined to win the European Junior Championship in the 400 free relay last summer.
While primarily a backstroker, a free relay built around Popovici and Glinta would have been within reach of Olympic qualification for Paris, which would have been a big accomplishment for the Romanian federation.
Instead Glinta will retire and pass the torch to the next generation. He leaves behind 9 Romanian Records to chase, including the 50 and 100 back in long course, and the 50, 100, and 200 back in short course.
Robert Glinta‘s Career Best Times:
| LCM | SCM | SCY | |
| 50 back | 24.12 (RR) | 22.74 (RR) | 21.15 |
| 100 back | 52.88 (RR) | 49.31 (RR) | 44.99 |
| 200 back | 1:57.91 | 1:51.75 (RR) | 1:40.50 |
| 50 free | 22.72 | 22.46 | 19.91 |
| 100 free | 49.73 | 46.64 | 44.89 |
Robert Glinta‘s Major International Medals
- 2015 World Junior Championships – gold – 100 backstroke
- 2017 European Short Course Championships – bronze – 100 backstroke
- 2018 European Long Course Championships – silver – 50 backstroke
- 2019 European Short Course Championships – bronze – 100 backstroke
- 2020 European Long Course Championships – silver – 50 backstroke
- 2020 European Long Course Championships – gold – 50 backstroke
- 2021 European Short Course Championships – bronze – 50 backstroke
- 2021 European Short Course Championships – silver – 100 backstroke
- 2021 World Short Course Championships – bronze – 100 backstroke
One of the few elite backstrokers I have seen swim in person. Incredible constant leverage on the water from the legs on both up and down dolphin kicks, beautiful to watch. Congrats on a great career.
Congrats on an outstanding career. Seems like a good guy.