As most fanciers know, Long distance ace is a special category, where only pigeons able to combine constancy with speed and endurance manage to establish themselves. Perhaps for this reason, at the end of this competitive season, following the centralizations, we notice that only a small number of pigeons managed to meet the requirements to complete the norm of the Long distance ace category. More precisely, we are talking about 111 yearlings and 195 old birds that arrived on the page of the 2022 national catalog.

Sergiu Luca

The 1st place in this season in the category Long Distance Yearlings was won by the cock “Oskar”, with the series 0448814-2021, which belongs to the team Luca Sergiu & Alin, formed by Sergiu Luca and Alin Anton, who operate in the town of Ortăști, Neamț county. In order to win, “Oskar” completed the norm with a total of 102.71 points and 2,854 ranked kilometers. “The pigeon with series 0448814-2021, named “Oskar”, is 100% of Gherghe Flutur’s pigeons, his parents being purchased from the Cajvana pigeon loft. His father comes from long distance pigeons, and his mother from a super line of Marathon pigeons. The method by which our pigeons were trained this season was the natural one, «Oskar» raising a chick all season, the rest was played only on plastic eggs. Before the start of the season we had a batch of 30 pigeons, but after training we were left with about 25. For us, this season was a bit difficult, due to the fact that during the competitions, both me and my friend Alin, were away abroad. From the 4th of July 2022, the pigeons were left in the care of my mother, she was not familiar with everything that pigeon racing means, so she only gave them food and water. However, this clearly reflects the potential of the pigeon, as proof, at the last stage of the Long Distance, “Oskar” occupied 6th place in the launch, out of 4,116 pigeons, a fact that propelled him to the 1st place national Long Distance Ace Yearlings. The trophy obtained brings us immense joy and satisfaction and motivates us for the future. For joy, my friend Alin will get a tattoo with the series of our champion”, reported Sergiu Luca.

Calin Ususan

The second place of this category is occupied by a cock, with the series 0086418-2021, which belongs to Călin Ususan, from Arad. In order to obtain the silver prize, the pigeon ticked off a score of 126.64 penalty points in the five Long Distance stages and covered 3,035 kilometers. “The national vice-champion has origins, from the mother’s side, of Houben-Sangers pigeons, which are the basic birds in my breeding loft. From this family, over the years, we have bred county, regional and national champions, and on the father’s side there are pigeons of Van Gils (Aarden) and Metselaar (Van Der Wegen, Jan Theelen-Tournier) origins, so pigeons of Marathon. The latter are new birds introduced in my breeding loft compartment and seem to combine well with my Long Distance pigeons. The cock was competed by the total widowhood method. I can say that I am better at training and motivating the hens with this method, but the result of this season will stimulate me to pay more attention to the training of the cocks as well, with which I hope to achieve good results in the future. In the 2022 season we started the competitions with a batch of 85 pigeons, being an extremely difficult competitive year, at the end of which we were left with 35 pigeons, birds that achieved good results in the Long Distance and Marathon Yearlings categories, not having a batch of very strong old birds, because I changed the location of my loft 3 years ago. This result is the first important one from the new location, a fact that proves to me that things are working well, at the same time strengthening my desire and hope for better results than those obtained at the old location, namely an Olympic pigeon, two national titles of the Pigeon of the Year in two consecutive years, a national champion in the National Ace category and a champion and vice-champion in the Long distance Ace Palmares. For the 2023 season, I wish success to all pigeon fans who have understood the fact that you cannot achieve results in this sport without material sacrifices, skill and sustained work”, declared Călin Ususan.

RO-0021216-2021-Cosmin Olteanu

From Urlați, Prahova county, Cosmin Olteanu climbs to the third step of the national podium, obtaining the “bronze” of this category, with the hen series 0021216-2021. The strong hen achieved the norm with 2,966 ranked kilometers and a total of 131.35 penalty points. “Being an extremely difficult category to achieve, especially for yearlings, a place on the national podium is an important trophy, and this result highlights the special sporting qualities of the bird. The flight lot was contested by the widow’s method. As origins, the champion hen 0021216-2021 is sired by the cock series NL 1470093-2020, which is based on Gebr birds. Hagens, and her mother, the hen series B 3025195-2016, comes from Marc Pollin pigeons”, Ciprian Mănescu, manager of the loft, told us.

Prahova holds the flag high when it comes to Old birds category

Adrian Mandricel and Cornel Isacila

The hen with the series 0862421-2020, named “Xena”, belonging to Adrian Mândricel, from Baba Ana, Prahova county, manages to win the title of national champion of the Long distance Ace Old birds category with 26.97 points and a total of 3,015 ranked kilometers, this after, as you could find out from the previous article dedicated to this season’s performers, the hen also secured the title of national vice-champion of the Long Distance old birds category. “She is a medium to small hen, very calm but very protective and attached to the nest and her pair. In the last stage of Long Distance, he was basketed on a position of small chicks, a race in which he won the 1st place in the competition, out of 3,015 pigeons participated. I feel like a very lucky fancier to have such a hen. The two trophies won by Xena are the biggest dream we live as pigeon fanciers, both me and my friend Cornel Isăcilă”, explained Adrian Mândricel.

Cristinel Chelaru

Another fancier who stood out this season is Cristinel Chelaru, from Păunești, Vrancea county, who, after winning the national 1st place in the Fanciers category, also manages to award himself the title of vice-champion of the Long distance Ace category with the cock 2003793-2020, which finished the norm with 40.51 points and 3,113 ranked kilometers. “The method by which the national vice-champion As Fond Maturi was prepared was the widow. He is a good brother to the cock 493782-2020, who ranks 12th national Long distance Ace and half-brother to the following birds: hen 403923-2019 (13th national Long distance 3 years rankings), hen 2003753-2020 (5th place out of 9000 pigeons), cock 2003777-2020 (2nd place out of 1977 pigeons) and cock 2011258-2021 (3rd place out of 1472 pigeons). The father of 2003793-2020 is a Belgian pigeon, which in his flying career obtained three 1st places on the stage and which also obtained the title of Best National Colony LCB 2014-2015. I purchased this cock from the PIPA website, from the mother of Roland and Guy Nihoul. The mother of these birds is the basic hen from my breeding loft, in turn also bought from PIPA, which is based on Thibaut Boons’ pigeons”, Cristinel Chelaru told us.

Marian Burlacu

The third national Long distance Ace Old birds place is occupied by hen 0951088-2019, with 45.65 points and 3,009 ranked kilometers. She belongs to the team Burlacu Marian + George, formed by the two cousins Marian and George Burlacu, pigeon fanciers who compete from Conduratu, Prahova county. “Hen 951088-2019 is the national 3rd place Long Distance Ace Old birds and the national 9th place in the Long Distance Old birds category, 2022. An extraordinary pigeon, which obtained 45.65 points in 5 stages in the Long Distance category (3,009 kilometers) and 8.11 points in 3 long distance stages (1,805 kilometers). As origins, her father is a combination Sorin Florea + Constantin Banu, and her mother is a combination between the pigeons of Cosmin Olteanu and Alexandru Cazacu. The hen was flown from the first year of life, from the season with the chicks. In the years 2019-2020, it was competed on the Bulgaria route, in the 2021 season on the Moldova-Republic of Moldova route, and in 2022 only the Long Distance stages on the Poland route. The game method by which we prepared our birds was total widowhood. I started the stages with a batch of 20 pigeons, but after the first competition, which was a bit difficult, I registered some losses. However, from the second stage things settled down, and the season ended with a place on the national podium. A great joy for us to achieve such a result and to win such a trophy”, declared Marian Burlacu.