Winning IAAF Grand Prix Final, Violeta Beclea Szekely, was declared "World Champion" in 2001

 

AFP informs that our athlete Violete Beclea Szekely won, at the beginning of September, at Melbourne, the 1500 m race within the IAAF Grand Prix Final, in 4 minutes, 3 seconds and 46 hundreds.

 

The competition that took place on "Melbourne's Olympic Park" stadium brought us for the second time the satisfaction that the first athlete of the world to be a Romanian Violeta Beclea Szekely, pursuant to 1999 when Gabriela Szabo achieved two big records: the first position in the general classification of the IAAF Grand Prix and as leader on long distance races.

After the victory obtained at 1500 m race, Violeta Beclea Szekely accumulated 116 points, thus having the first position in the final classification of IAAF Grand Prix. Romanian athlete, the only sportswoman who won all the seven stages of the Golden League circuit, has been rewarded with 100,000 USD for the first place in the IAAF Grand Prix, and with 50,000 USD for winning the 1500 m race within the IAAF Grand Prix final. Unlike the situation in the masculine sector, where the American Allan Johnson (100 meters hurdles) started the race with a minimum advantage, of two points, ( in the Australian meeting score being tripled in comparison with a normal Grand Prix), world and Olympic vice-champion was considered from the beginning as a virtual winner, leading detached, with 10 points, in competition with the athlete from Mozambique Maria Mutola (800). If Johnson lost at Melbourne against the Cuban Anier Garcia, pursuant to this result the Swiss athlete Andre Bucher (800 m) was crowned as the "king" of this season, Violeta Beclea Szekely did not take into consideration the fact that a fifth place it was sufficient to maintain her on the first position and crossed the first one the finish line, after gaining the Benevolence Games title a few days ago. We hope that this well deserved title, " world athlete", to make our athlete to forget the bitter taste from the failures in Lisbon and Edmonton, where Gabi Szabo became the world champion.

 

Violeta Shares the Jackpot of 50 Kilos of Gold

After the stage in Germany, the last Golden League, Violeta reached to share the 50 kilos of gold with other five sportsmen: Maroc athlete Hicham El Guerrouj (1500 m), the American Allan Johnson (100 meters hurdles), the Swiss Andre Bucher (800 m), the Russian Olga Egorova (5000 m) and the American Marion Jones (100 m), athletes who won at least five races.

The IAAF president, Lamine Diack from Senegal, could not attend the rewarding festivity, and the flag of the international for was hoisted half mast due to the fact that his son Papus past away at the age of 32 years.

"It was a dream season! I am very happy, but I also feel exhausted. Together with my daughter and my husband I will leave to Atlanta, for a well deserved vacation, of a minimum a month. Then I will think what shall I do with the money, a big sum for anyone. Now I am too tired to think of such problems", declared Violeta Beclea Szekely.

Also, world leader of the athletes wanted to specify that the change of the coach was one of the reasons why she had this success: "Andrei became my coach, so that we could be all the time together as a family. And Alexandra joined us, too. We have eliminated this way a lot of pressures, concentrating only on training."

 

Gabi Szabo Has Health Problems

Gabriela Szabo, Olympic champion at 5000 meters and world champion at 1500 m, gave up competing at any competition till the end of the season, even if this meant not to honor the contracts already signed. At 3000 meters race within the sixth stage of the Golden League, Gabi Szabo crossed the finish line limping. "When I entered the final sprint I felt a sharp pain which started from the back and progressed down to a leg", explained the Olympic and world champion. These problems seem to be caused by the sciatic nerve: "This bothering came out at the half of July, a while before the competition in Oslo. When I came back to the country, the physician recommended me physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory and ice compresses. At Edmonton, the pains became acute, but I have calmed them down with massages. Now it would be dangerous to force myself. I would do nothing that to worsen my situation".

Medical problems kept her away from the arena, Gabi Szabo being forced to quit the Benevolence Games in Brisbane and the Grand Prix Final in Melbourne. "Only the travel to Australia would have been a torture for me".

Gabriela Szabo will spend a part of her holiday, at Bistrita, at her parents, whom she seen only once this year "for two hours in March", and on October she will leave in South Africa, together with her husband in order to Christianize the baby of some friends.

 

Olga Egorova "Dethroned" Gabi Szabo

The Russian Olga Egorova established a new record at the 5000 meters race that took place in Berlin. She crossed the finish line in only 14:29,32, outrunning the one established by Gabi Szabo also in Berlin, but in 1998. The performance of the Russian is classed right after the world record of 14:28,09 established in 1997 by the Chinese Jiang Bo.

 

 

Golden League Medal Winners

2001 - Violeta Beclea Szekely (Romania, 1500 m), Hicham El Guerrouj (Maroc, 1500/2000 m), Andre Bucher (Switzerland, 800 m), Allan Johnson (USA, 110 meters hurdles), Marion Jones (USA, 100 m), Olga Egorova (Russia, 3000/5000 m).

2000 - Gail Devers (USA, 100 meters hurdles), Trine Hattestad (Norway, javelin), Tatiana Kotova (Russia, length).

1999 - Gabriela Szabo (Romania, 3000/5000 m), Wilson Kipketer (Denmark, 800 m).

1998 - Marion Jones (USA, 100m), Hicham El Guerrouj (Maroc, 1500 m), Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia, 5000/10000 m).

 

Oana Branzan