Manole Aldescu

Born in the commune of Talea near Romania’s Bucegi Mountains, Manole Aldescu began skiing at age five and was a member of the Dinamo Brașov club in his youth. Coached by Gheorghe Epuran and Ştefan Stăiculescu, he was first a member of the Romanian Olympic ski team in Oslo 1952 where he competed with the 4 × 10 kilometres team, finishing 10th. He competed in two individual cross-country skiing events four years later in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the 15 and 30 kilometres races, with his best finish being 31st place in the latter.

The next year, he was a member of the Romanian team that won first place in the 4 × 10 kilometres relay at an event in Bulgaria. This was one multiple top-6 finishes in international competitions that Aldescu achieved in the 1950s, in addition to 11 national titles. He later became a coach for the Caraimanul club, and was awarded the title master of sports.