Young Pigeons All Round Category: National Top 3, with Breeders Exclusively from Suceava Branch

The eight races required to meet the norm in the Young Pigeons All Round category, with distances ranging from 100 km to over 475 km, proved to be a true test of endurance in the 2025 season for young pigeons only a few months old. Only 10 pigeons managed to achieve the norm in this category, and the performance is even more impressive given that they come from just two branches. The national podium is entirely composed of breeders from Suceava, and the top three norms were achieved through two different race plans.

The first four national positions out of the total of 10 rankings are occupied by breeders from Suceava. In 5th place nationally is Bogdan Sorin from Gorj, followed by another pigeon fancier from Suceava, while the last four positions in the national ranking are occupied by breeders from Gorj who competed on the Bulgaria–Greece route.

The Curelușă Brothers: An Exceptional Season with Young Pigeons in 2025

For brothers Valentin and Marius Curelușă, the 1st National place in the Young Pigeons All Round category represents the most important result of the 2025 season, but it is not their only notable achievement. The two, who formed a tandem in the autumn of 2024 and compete from the locality of Marginea, had a consistent performance throughout the young pigeon season.

They started the season with consecutive victories in the first two long-distance races from Janow (522 km), where they achieved 1st place on release out of a field of 5,282 and 1,454 young pigeons respectively. Later, in the first marathon stage with young pigeons — Suwalki 1 (739 km) — they secured the first two positions on release against 2,669 pigeons. These results were complemented by strong placements in the short-distance stages, performances that culminated in winning 1st National in the Young Pigeons All Round category with the female RO-2025-0180799, champion with a total of 414.92 penalty points.

“In 2025 we competed with 110 young pigeons, raised under a darkness system. We focused on the long-distance stages but also participated in speed, middle-distance, and marathon races. Between stages, we carried out additional training sessions, and feeding was adapted to the period: light feed until two days before basketting, and in the last days we used Gino Clicque and Energy mixes from Vanrobaeys for long-distance and marathon races, and Energy for the shorter stages. The champion is bred from two pigeons that competed at the Horodnic Columbodrome: the female comes from pigeons owned by Petre Nicolae, and the male from the Gijs van den Han & Team DoDo line,” explained Valentin Curelușă.

Hrab Ovidiu and Leșan Ionuț – National Vice-Champions

The 2nd National place in the Young Pigeons All Round category is occupied by the tandem formed by Hrab Ovidiu and Leșan Ionuț. They started the season with 118 young pigeons entered in the first speed stage on plan 2, and 42 pigeons were sent to the first middle-distance race. Throughout the season, they maintained a group of 14 pigeons for the long-distance stages. In the end, this team achieved 2nd National place. The trophy was won with the pigeon RO-2025-0160550, which accumulated a total coefficient of 437.07 penalty points.

“We breed approximately 130 young pigeons annually. The females are mostly sent to columbodromes, while in the championship we rely mainly on males and a few females. The males compete mainly in speed races so they are not overstrained, because with the adults we compete mostly with males. The young females are the ones we enter in multiple stages, including the All Round category. They compete naturally, without a darkness program, even though they are bred early, in December. Between 25 and 30 training sessions are conducted before the start of the season, and between races we carry out two to four training flights at 35–50 km.

The national vice-champion had already shed four feathers at the beginning of the season and managed to score in three stages within one week: speed, middle-distance, and long-distance. Toward the end, she lost some motivation, so we paired her with a mature male — a decision that brought a new boost in form and a strong placement in the next long-distance race. She is bred from the national champion of Cosmin Leonteș in the Young All Round 2024 category, national vice-champion in the Young Middle-Distance category and 3rd National in the Young All Round category, combined with a female from our own flying line,” explained Ovidiu Hrab.

Iulian Dari Took a Risk and Succeeded

The national podium is completed by Iulian Dari from Horodnicul de Sus, with the pigeon RO-2025-0189928, which achieved 3rd National place in the Young Pigeons All Round category with 458.69 penalty points. The breeder approached the season strategically, dividing his group of 130 young pigeons into two teams. The first team was kept under a darkness program and entered in all types of stages, including long-distance and marathon races. The second team competed naturally and was entered only in speed stages. The strategy worked almost perfectly, and the result came “in extremis,” through this pigeon that scored in just two weeks one speed race, one long-distance race, and two middle-distance races — completing the norm with the final middle-distance stage.

“I have been competing since 2015 and prefer one-day races. I divided the young pigeons into two groups to have, at the same time, a team for the young season and a future team. The winning pigeon was received as a gift from Adrian Moroșan. It was not paired during the season. I fed the pigeons during the season with Aidi mixes and carried out three training flights at 35 km between stages. For me, this trophy is important also because the pigeon scored and competed within two weeks in one speed race, one long-distance race, and two middle-distance races,” stated Iulian Dari.