BIOGRAPHY
Some have described Luminița Huțupan-Dinu as the best goalkeeper of all time. In her native Romania, she has certainly earned the status of legend, having been voted Romanian handballer of the year three times running and been a key player in one of her nation’s biggest successes: a silver medal at the 2005 IHF Women’s World Championship.
It was at the 2005 World Championship that Huțupan-Dinu earned one of her three All-star Team positions, as she was named in the best seven at that event as well as at the EHF EURO 2000 and for the Champions Trophy 2007.
Huțupan-Dinu’s club career took her to three countries. After starting in international competitions with Oltchim Valcea, she moved to Krim Ljubjana, with a brief stint at Kometal Skopje interrupting her time in Slovenia. With Krim and Skopje, Huțupan-Dinu won the Champions League three times in a row. She played a further two finals with Krim in the premiere club competition, in 2004 and 2006, but was defeated in both.
Huțupan-Dinu contributed to a number of domestic titles for both Krim and Oltchim, celebrating league and Cup victories in both countries. Her awards for Romanian handballer of the year came in 2006, 2007 and 2008. She celebrated her last international trophies in 2007, when she won the Cup Winners’ Cup and Champions Trophy with Oltchim.
Huțupan-Dinu ended her career in 2009 before making a memorable but short-lived comeback for an injury-struck Oltchim in 2012 — two years after being named an Honorary Citizen of Râmnicu Vâlcea.
