In 2020 season, over 5,000 yearlings met the norm of the Middle distance Yearlings category. This means that they ranked at least four races with a distance between 285 and 630 km, totaling at least 1,400 km. The best yearling in Romania in this category is the cock RO-19-0723138 of the team Victoraș + Răzvan Manole from Dâmbovița, followed by two other cocks, competed by the Dragomir Family and Cosmin Olteanu, both from the Prahova Pigeon Association.

About the young pigeon of the team Victoraș + Răzvan Manole, from Dâmbovița, we can say that he authoritatively won the title of national champion of this category. Its coefficient is 2.90 points, a very small one, considering the fact that it was achieved in four races. The second place is occupied by Magdalena and Ionuț Dragomir, from Prahova, with 7.03 penalty points. The well-known pigeon fancier Cosmin Olteanu, also from Prahova, is the one who occupies the third place of the national podium, his pigeon obtaining 9.57 penalty points.

Victoraș + Răzvan Manole (DB), champions for Middle distance Yearlings

The cock RO-19-0723138 of the team Victoraș + Răzvan Manole has been mentioned before in our articles and will be mentioned further. The reason is a very simple one, winning three national titles: 1 National Short distance Yearlings, 1st National Middle distance Yearlings and 1st National  G Category, Yearlings. The norm at Middle distance Yearlings was achieved by ranking 1st out of 5,444 pigeons (375 km), 1st place out of 2,112 pigeons (373 km), 1st place out of 2,222 pigeons (373 km) and 4th place out of 2,195 pigeons ( 373 km). These four rankings were centralized only from the general rankings (per launch), which means that the young cock of the Dâmboviţa team had an almost perfect performance. “The cock is the half-brother of our hen who last year was the 1st National Middle distance Yearlings, being a good exponent of the family we managed to create, and his mother is an original hen Dirk van den Bulck. It was competed using widowhood method, so it was very easy for us to motivate him. We used several motivation methods, for example the cock found his hen in the breeding box when he came from training, we also used jealousy, but, as a rule, the motivation took place the day before basketing, to send him calmly to the race. For feeding we used the Gino Clique mixture from Vanrobaeys “, said Victoraș Manole.

Magdalena Dragomir (PH) wins the 2nd National place

The cock RO-19-0988841 of the Dragomir family also competed very well, winning the 2nd place National Middle distance Yearlings, with the score of 7.03 penalty points. If team Victoraș + Răzvan Manole’s pigeon preferred the race of Palanca (373 km), the yearling of Magdalena and Ionuț Dragomir did very well at the Svilengrad competition (391 km), which he ranked four times: 4th place / 10,156 pigeons, 3rd place / 1,075 pigeons, 7th place / 4,679 pigeons and 18th place / 7,644 pigeons. “He is a 50% Koopman cock and 50% Carboni with Eijerkamp. He has been competing in total widowhood since the first race, the flight group being separated after raising a series of young birds, so that they are already widows for the first race. We used only one food mix, Champion Plus from Versele Laga, for the whole season, regardless of the moment. Regarding the trainings, we did as much as we had the opportunity, the distance being 70 km ”, explained Ionuț Dragomir.

Cosmin Olteanu (PH), a new national title

A regular of the national podium in the one-day categories, Cosmin Olteanu is not missing from the national ranking in 2020. A cock, RO-19-0019060, brings him this season the 3rd place National Middle distance Yearlings trophy. His score is 9.57 penalty points and was achieved by the following rankings: 18 / 14,723 pigeons, 26 / 12,913 pigeons, 24 / 11,258 pigeons and 73 / 17,346 pigeons. All four rankings were made at the same competition, Svilengrad, which for Cosmin Olteanu had a distance of 361 km. “The cosk’s father is a pigeon from Jos Cools, and the mother is a hen Frans Maris, in combination with Davy Tournelle. As a flight method I used widowhood, but because the season was delayed, I could not follow the usual schedule. The pigeons in the flight group reproduced two series of younb birds before being widowed and went to competitions a bit scorched. We used the food from Vanrobaeys, one or two trainings a week from a distance of 40 km, a program that seems to have suited this pigeon, because it did not receive any special treatment “, mentioned Ciprian Mălescu, the manager of Cosmin Olteanu’s loft.

Concluding the norm with a coefficient of less than 10 penalty points, the three pigeons of the fanciers on the national podium fully deserve all the appreciations. The ranking among the first pigeons in the ranking for four different, consecutive competitions, shows real qualities of performers.