Like most categories of the National Championship, the Middle distance category also has a section dedicated to fanciers. The classification of pigeon fanciers at the National Middle distance is done in the same way as in the case of pigeons, being necessary four races, where the fancier choses a team and has to rank here. In 2020, the season for old birds and yearlings, at Middle distance Fanciers, Mihaela Mare, from Prahova, Șanta + Zlibuț + Fildan, from Bihor, and Constantin Enache, from Bucharest, were the best. In this order they occupy the first three places of the National Championship.

The 1st national place was won this season by Mihaela Mare with a score of 29.21 penalty points, after an almost perfect performance. The second place was occupied by the trio Șanta + Zlibuț + Fildan, from Bihor, pigeon fanciers who are on the 2nd place nationally also for the category Short distance Fanciers. The third national winner of the category is Constantin Enache, a member of the Bucharest Association, who obtained a coefficient of 43.70 penalty points.

Mihaela Mare wins the 1st place National Middle distance Fanciers

Fancier Ovidiu Urloiu, member of the Văleni club, Prahova Association, is the one who, together with his wife, Mihaela Mare, wins the 1st place in the 2020 season. Because until recently his wife was the one who took care of the pigeons, they competed on her behalf. Svilengrad (387 km) was the race where the pigeons of Ovidiu Urloiu and Mihaela Mare did the best, winning three times the first place and one place 5th place. Even more interesting to remember is that the three main team pigeons are brothers, bred in 2019. “We compete with pigeons brought from the Netherlands, Germany, mainly on the Eijerkamp and Leo Heremans lines. The method of flight is widowhood, which begins before the first race. For this season we used Bayers products and food for the first time. Twice a week we trained the pigeons at a distance of 60 km. we chose the team, every time, with the help of three brothers, yearlings all three of them, who had a very good season. At the training sessions done before the first race, we noticed that they were ahead of our other pigeons. This is the reason why they were part of the team from the beginning, during the season being helped by other pigeons, including a very good cock from Cătălin Istodor “, explained Ovidiu Urloiu.

Șanta + Zlibuț + Fildan, a new national title for Fanciers category

For the team formed by Ioan Șanta, Sebastian Zlibuț and Ionuț Fildan, the inspiration is the one that defines the 2020 season. After the 3rd place National Short distance Fanciers, the same trio also wins the 2nd place National Middle distance, with 31.42 penalty points. Three of the four centralized stages for the norm are 1st place on the launch at fanciers category, and the fourth is a 2nd place. It is about the same competition, Paprika (371 km), dominated each time by pigeon fanciers Ioan Șanta, Sebastian Zlibuț and Ionuț Fildan in the fanciers’ ranking. “We compete in the 300-600 km races, and as pigeon origins we have Leo Heremans, Vandenabeele and Feldotto. Mostly, these pigeons come from the team Filip + Birtalan. We compete with them in total widowhood and for feeding, during the season, we used the mixtures of Gerry and Superstar from Versele Laga, plus Energy from Bayers. The team pigeons have always been the same, both for the short distance and middle distance races. They are the ones who brought us the two national trophies, which we can say were our goal. There were only yearlings, from 2019, which competed very well, ranking on the 5th place National Ace Speed ​​Yearlings, 9 National Middle distance, 17th National Middle distance Yearlings, etc. I must say that the team pigeons benefited from a special training, which consisted of many individual trainings between stages “, Ioan Șanta explained (foto left, with Ionut Fildan).

Constantin Enache wins in 2020 the 3rd place of the National Middle distance Fanciers

With two races from the 1st place on the launch at the fanciers category, a race with the 2nd place and a race with the 3rd place, all from the general classification, Constantin Enache from Bucharest is positioned on the third place in the National Championship for this category. Being known for the competition in Bucharest in this category, Constantin Enache’s result is appreciable, especially since the number of pigeons he competes with is not very large. “I compete in the short distance and middle distance races, and sometimes I also basket my pigeons for the long distance ones. I use widowhood as a method of flight, which is why hens fly very well. For feeding I use the Champion Plus mixture from Versele Laga, to which I add local corn, bought and prepared by me for pigeons. 50% of the mixture that the pigeons receive during the season is Champion Plus, and 50% is corn. My entire loft is based on a hen from Emil Simion, from 2008, with origins Piet Manders and Van Dyck, the line of Kannibaal. For the team, at the beginning of the season I relied on hens. But then, after noticing that the cocks were fitter, I relied on them. In the last races, the cocks are the ones who won and helped me achieve this result “, mentioned Constantin Enache (foto right).

In the end, it is important to mention, once again, that the very good results achieved in the Fanciers category denote both the quality of the pigeons and the fanciers.