As Speed Old Birds 2025 – A Diverse National Podium and Top-Level Performances

The national standings of the As Speed Old Birds 2025 category confirm the increasingly balanced nature of Romanian pigeon racing. The presence of pigeons from four different regions in the national top 10 highlights not only the high difficulty of the category, but also the fact that more and more fanciers—regardless of the province in which they compete—are placing strong emphasis on all flight categories.

At the top of the national rankings stands Costel-Emanuel Franciuc from Suceava, with a cock that recorded one of the lowest scores ever achieved in this category. He is followed by two fanciers from Oltenia: Cristi Bondoc-Popescu from Mehedinți and Mihai Cîrciumaru from Dolj.

A National Title Built on Perfect Consistency

First place nationally was claimed by Costel-Emanuel Franciuc (Suceava County Association) with the cock RO-2023-0672985, which completed the standard with an outstanding score of 47.51 penalty points, one of the lowest recorded in the recent history of the category. Although the pigeon did not secure podium finishes in every race, it stood out through exceptional consistency, clocking in all eight speed races included in the flight plan. Equally important is the fact that all eight stages were Iași races, flown over a distance of 141 km. The cock, bred by the fancier from Mitocu Dragomirnei, achieved penalty scores ranging from 0.80 to 9.78 points, in competitions involving between 393 and 8,798 pigeons, depending on the race. This allows the bird to be described as a true “pure-blood” speed champion. “I competed in 2021, took a break in 2022, and resumed in 2023. However, this was the first year I was fully in the country, together with the pigeons. I compete in all one-day races, except marathon, using pigeons from several lines suited to these categories. I raced on widowhood throughout the season, feeding Gerry mix from Versele Laga and Super Energy from Vanrobaeys. Between speed races, I trained the pigeons twice at 50 km,” stated Costel-Emanuel Franciuc. 

The Vice Champion: Cristi Bondoc-Popescu

Second place was secured by Cristi Bondoc-Popescu (Mehedinți County Association) with the hen RO-2023-0344413, which completed the standard with 70.52 penalty points. This result earned Cristi Bondoc-Popescu the first national title of his career. Of the eight speed races in which the hen was classified, six were flown over 168 km, one over 223 km, and another over 295 km, highlighting her ability to achieve top results across varying distances. The most notable performance was a 22nd place finish against 8,409 pigeons, confirming the high competitiveness of the season. From a genetic standpoint, the hen comes entirely from the Silviu Glodeanu loft, a line that continues to deliver solid results at national level. “I’ve been competing since 2012, but I only brought in speed pigeons in 2021, all from Silviu Glodeanu—including this vice champion, which is 100% Glodeanu. Her sister ranks third provincially in the As Speed Two-Year Palmares category. I keep around 50–55 racers each year and 12–15 breeding pairs. I race on widowhood, and in the 2025 season the pigeons were fed Gaby Vandenabeele and Sport Light mixes from Beyers. Between races, I carried out one or two training tosses of 40 km,” Cristi Bondoc-Popescu explained.

Third Place Remains in Oltenia

The national podium is completed by Mihai Cîrciumaru (Dolj County Association) with the hen RO-2022-1081089, which accumulated 86.01 penalty points. Unlike the first two finishers, this pigeon completed the standard through longer races, with distances ranging from 189 to 365 km, covering the highest total mileage among the national podium pigeons. Mihai Cîrciumaru’s result confirms the continuity of a strong family tradition in pigeon racing. He is the brother of Adrian Cîrciumaru and the uncle of Ionuț Cîrciumaru, both well-known names and multiple national champions. “I’ve been competing since 2018, within the limits of my available time, focusing mainly on one-day races. I race on widowhood from the first stage, training the pigeons more in the evening than in the morning, and when possible I take them by car to 30 km. The hen’s father comes from Frații Radu of Cugir, and the mother from my brother, Adrian Cîrciumaru. She raced on widowhood except for the final stage, which she flew natural. She also has a very good sister that placed fifth nationally in the 2023 Young Birds General category. In 2023, during the second long-distance race of the season, the two sisters finished first and second on the drop at 577 km against 4,059 pigeons,” Mihai Cîrciumaru explained.

In conclusion, As Speed Adults 2025 proved to be a category defined by intense competition and a strong demand for consistency, rather than isolated standout performances. The fact that 350 pigeons managed to complete the standard demonstrates both the attractiveness and the difficulty of the category, where margins are decided by hundredths of points and sustained regularity.