Sergiu Toma

The great sportsman Sergiu Toma is a judoka, who competes in the -81kg weight category. He is a 4x IJF Grand Prix Champion, and an IJF Grand Slam Champion, as well as a European Championships Silver-medalist, a World Masters medalist, a World Championships medalist, and an Olympic medalist. In 2011 he was named Moldovan Athlete of the Year, but after the London 2012 Olympics he moved to the United Arab Emirates, together with five other Moldovan judoka and the national coach.

Born and raised in the Moldovan region of the former Soviet Union, Toma started judo at a young age, and began competing at cadet and junior level. At the age of 18 he took the Gold medal at the 2005 European Junior Championships in the -66kg weight category. He moved up to the -73kg weight category and took Bronze at the 2007 Summer Universiade, and the following year he represented Moldova at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. By 2010 he was competing in the -81 kg weight category, and that year he took his first IJF Grand Prix medal, winning Bronze. In 2011 he won Bronze at the World Championships, and Silver at the European Championships. Then in 2012 he won Bronze at the IJF Grand Slam and again at the IJF Grand Prix, as well as taking part in his second Olympics at London 2012.

Toma relocated to the United Arab Emirates in late 2012, and from 2013 he represented his newly adopted nation in all competitions. He went on to win five IJF Grand Slam medals (including a Gold); six IJF Grand Prix medals (four of which were Gold), and a World Masters Bronze. He then attended the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning his first Olympic medal when he took Bronze.