Gabriela Szabo

Gabriela Szabó (nascuta la data de 14 Noiembrie 1975 la Bistriţa) este o fosta atleta din Romania. A fost medaliata cu aur la Jocurile Olimpice din 2000, proba de 5000 m si cu bronz si respectiv argint la proba de 1500 m, de la Jocurile Olimpice din 1996 şi 2000. A fost de asemenea de trei ori campioana mondiala. A avut un singur antrenor, pe Zsolt Gyöngyössy, cu care in final s-a si casatorit. In mai 2005 si-a anuntat retragerea din sportul profesionist.

DATE PERSONALE:

Data nasterii: 14 noiembrie, 1975

Locul nasterii: Bistrita

Nationalitate: Romana

Inaltime: 158 cm

Greutate: 42 kg

Antrenor: Zsolt Gyöngyössy

CARIERA:

A ajuns in lumea sportului printr-o intamplare. In 1988, cand Gabi era în clasa a sasea, diriginta ei, care era si profesoara de educatiefizica, a trimis-o sa participe la un cros scolar. Eleva Gabriela Szabo a castigat prima ei cursa de 600 de metri în parcul din centrul orasului Bistrita si tot acolo a fost remarcata de tanarul antrenor Zsolt Gyongyossy. Cu acordul parintilor, a început sa se antreneze pentru atletism. Din 1991 si pana în 2002 atleta Gabriela Szabo a stralucit in toate competitiile la care a participat. A strans 21 de medalii de aur si 12 de argint si este una dintre primele atlete din lume care a cucerit toate titlurile absolute ale campionatelor europene, mondiale sau olimpice. In 2004, dupa concursul de la Birmingham, unde a abandonat, a decis sa se retraga. Aproape ca nu a fost crezuta. Nu s-au organizat ceremonii speciale, tocmai pentru ca atat Federaţia, cat şi suporterii sperau ca atleta sa se razgandeasca.Iata ce declara atunci Gabi Szabo:"Inainte de a ma fi retras, mi-am dorit foarte mult sa obtin inca o medalie olimpica. Voiam sa bat recordul mondial la 5000 m in aer liber. Eram capabila sa obtin acest rezultat, insa ceva se întampla în timpul cursei. Pierdeam intre 3 şi 4 km, ceea ce era foarte mult. Am incercat sa reglez problema in antrenament, insa in concurs nu stiu ce se intampla. A trebuit sa ma opresc aici, insa nu regret, pentru ca activitatea de sportiv mi-a adus bucurii pe care nu le poti compara cu nimic." Dar Gabriela Szabo nu a revenit asupra acestei hotarari. In vara lui 2006, la internationalele Romaniei, a fost organizata o festivitate de retragere oficiala. Astazi Gabriela Szabo este vicepresedinta Federatiei Romane de Atletism si studiaza la nivel de masterat, antropologia motrica la A.N.E.F.S. Bucuresti. Dar este prezenta cu aceeaşi dedicare la concursuri de atletism, unde are ocazia sa ii cunoasca pe viitorii campioni. Ii este dor de viata sportiva, insa competitia face parte acum din viata ei de fiecare zi, pentru ca vrea sa stie mai mult si sa faca mai multe. Gabi vrea sa demonstreze ca poate fi nu doar o sportiva de mare performanta, ci şi un om capabil sa faca multe alte lucruri in viata:"Sportul a fost si este o parte din viata mea. Mi-a dat atatea satisfactii si bucurii, impliniri pe care nu stiu daca o sa le mai traiesc. Imi lipseste faptul ca nu mai alerg, stadionul, galagia de acolo, cu o suta de mii de spectatori, toti tipand si incuranjandu-te. Imi lipsesc emotiile acelea de dupa cursa, cand simti implinirea pe care ti-o da victoria. Si acum am multe de facut, ma implic in foarte multe lucruri, totul este o cursa in care vreau sa castig."

STATISTICI:

Personal Bests
Data Proba Performanta Locatie
08 08 1998 1500 Metri 3:56.97 Monaco
01 07 1998 O mila 4:19.30 Bellinzona
29 07 1998 2000 Metri 5:40.3 Paris
19 07 2002 3000 Metri 8:21.42 Monaco
01 09 1998 5000 Metri 14:31.48 Berlin
30 03 2002 8 Kilometri 25:33 Balmoral
30 03 2002 8 Kilometri(strada) 25:43 Balmoral

Progresie
Proba Sezon Performanta Locatie
1500 Metri 2002 3:58.78 Zürich
2001 4:00.57 Edmonton
2000 4:00.73 Eugene, OR
1999 4:13.63 Paris
1998 3:56.97 Monaco
1997 4:06.25 München
1996 4:01.54 Atlanta, GA
1995 4:11.73 Fukuoka
1994 4:14.43 Bucuresti
1993 4:10.32 Bucuresti
1992 4:12.57 Bucuresti
1991 4:17.07 Bucuresti
O mila 1998 4:19.30 Bellinzona
2000 Metri 1998 5:40.3 Paris
3000 Metri 2003 8:33.95 Zürich
2002 8:21.42 Monaco
2002 8:21.42 Monaco
2000 8:26.35 Zürich
1999 8:25.03 Zürich
1998 8:24.31 Paris
1997 8:27.78 Zürich
1996 8:36.07 Monaco
1995 8:30.03 Zürich
1994 8:40.08 Helsinki
1993 8:50.97 San Sebastián
1992 8:48.28 Seul
1991 9:19.28 Thessaloníki
5000 Metri 2003 14:41.35 Roma
2002 14:34.29 Londra
2001 14:46.92 Oslo
2000 14:40.61 Berlin
1999 14:40.59 Berlin
1998 14:31.48 Berlin
1997 14:42.43 Oslo
1996 14:41.12 Oslo
1995 14:53.91 Köln
8 Kilometri 2002 25:33 Balmoral
5 Mile(strada) 2002 25:43 Balmoral

REZULTATE:

2002
Loc II 1500m aer liber, Campionat European, Munchen
Loc II 3000m, Cupa Mondială: (reprezentativa Europei)
Record European, 3000m aer liber, 8:21.45.

2001
Campioană Mondială, 1500m aer liber, Edmonton
Recorduri Mondiale, 3000m sală, 8:32.88

2000
Campioană Olimpică 5000m, J.O. Sidney
Locul III.1500m, J.O. Sidney
Campioană Europeană 3000m sală, Gent.

1999
Campioană Mondială 5000m aer liber, Sevilla
Campioană Mondială 1500m sala, Maebashi
Campioană Mondială 3000m sala, Maebashi
Recorduri Mondiale 5000m sala, 14:47.35

1998
Campioană Europeană 3000m sala, Valencia
Locul II 5000m aer liber, Campionat European, Budapesta
Loc I 3000m, Cupa Mondială: (reprezentativa Europei )
Recorduri Mondiale 2000m sală, 5:30.26

1997
Campioană Mondială 5000m aer liber, Atena
Campioană Mondială 3000m sala, Paris

1996
Locul II 1500m, J.O. Atlanta
Locul III echipa, Campionate Mondiale de Cros, Capetown

1995
Campioană Mondială 3000m sală, Barcelona
Locul III echipa, Campionate Mondiale de Cros, Durham

1994
Locul III 3000m aer liber, Campionat European, Helsinki
Locul III 3000m, Cupa Mondială: (reprezentativa Europei )
Locul I 3000m, Campionate Mondiale – juniori, Lisabona.

1993
Campioană Europeană – juniori, San-Sebastian

1992
Locul II 3000m, Campionate Mondiale – juniori, Seul

1991
Campioană Europeană – juniori, Salonik.

Onoruri si distinctii:

1999 “Cea mai bună sportivă din Europa”, declarată de UEPS (Uniunea Europeana a Presei Sportive)
1999 “Sportiva Anului în lume” desemnată de A.P.S.M. şi “Atleta Anului” desemnată de I.A.A.F.
1997 “Sportiva Anului” declarată de M.T.S. şi A.P.S.
2001 Ordinul Naţional Serviciul Credincios grad de Comandor
1999 Cetăţean de Onoare al Municipiului Bucureşti
1998 Cetăţean de Onoare al Municipiului Cluj-Napoca
1994 Cetăţean de Onoare al Municipiului Bistriţa

A fost prima atleta romana care a castigat Golden League.

Gabi Szabo reusind sa cucereasca jackpotul de 1 milion de dolari in 2001, alaturi de danezul de origine keniana, Wilson Kipketer.

Gheorghe Hagi

Gheorghe Hagi (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈɡe̯orɡe ˈhad​͡ʒi]; born February 5, 1965 in Săcele), is a former Romanian football player. He was famous for his passing, close control, long shots and was regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s. Galatasaray fan called him Kiral(The King)
Nicknamed "The Maradona of the Carpathians", he is considered a hero in his homeland as well as in Turkey. He has won his country's "Player of the Year" award six times, and is regarded as one of the best football players of the 20th century.
He played for the Romanian national team in three World Cups in 1990, 1994 and 1998, as well as in three European Football Championships in 1984, 1996 and 2000. He won a total of 125 caps for Romania, being ranked second after Dorinel Munteanu, and scored 35 goals, being ranked first.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Romania by the Romanian Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.Hagi is one of the few footballers to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
In March 2004, he was named among the top 125 living footballers by Pelé.

In a 2006 poll conducted by Romanian Television to identify the "greatest Romanians of all time", Hagi came in 15th.

He started his career playing for the youth teams of Farul Constanţa in the 1970s, before being selected by the Romanian Football Federation to join the squad of Luceafărul Bucureşti in 1980 for two years. In 1982 he returned to Constanţa, but one year later, aged 18, he was prepared to make the step to a top team. He was originally directed to Universitatea Craiova, but chose Sportul Studenţesc of Bucharest instead.

In the winter of 1987 Hagi was transferred to Romanian giants Steaua Bucureşti as the team prepared for their European Super Cup final against FC Dynamo Kyiv. The original contract was for one game only, the final. However after winning the trophy, where Hagi scored the only goal of the game, Steaua did not want to release him back to Sportul Studenţesc and retained him. During his Steaua years (1987–1990), Hagi played 97 Liga I games, scoring 76 goals. He and the team reached the European Cup semifinal in 1988 and the final in the following year. Hagi and Steaua were the champions of Romania in 1987, 1988 and 1989 and as well as winning the Romania Cup in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

After the 1990 World Cup, he was signed by Real Madrid. The La Liga side paid $4.3 million to Steaua Bucureşti for him. Hagi played two seasons with Real Madrid and then was sold to Brescia Calcio.

Hagi started the season 1992–1993 with Brescia Calcio but in the first season the club was relegated to Serie B; in the next season Hagi helped Brescia Calcio win the Italian Serie B and get promoted to Serie A. After performing memorably during the 1994 World Cup, Hagi was signed by FC Barcelona.

After two years at FC Barcelona, Hagi signed for Galatasaray S.K.. At Galatasaray, he was both successful and highly popular among the Turkish supporters. Hagi and manager Fatih Terim built a team that would win four league titles. Over the years, Galatasaray, led by Hagi, managed to win the UEFA Cup after defeating Arsenal in the finals. This was followed by the capture of the European Super Cup with a historic win against Hagi's former club Real Madrid. Both feats were firsts, and remain unmatched in Turkish soccer history. The mass hysteria caused by these wins in Istanbul raised Hagi's popularity even further with the fans and made French ex-international Luis Fernández to say that "Hagi is like wine, the older it gets, the better it is". In 2000, at the age of 35, Hagi had the best days of his career winning every possible trophy with Galatasaray. When he retired in 2001, he remained one of the most beloved players in the Turkish and Romanian championships.
Hagi made his debut for the Romania national team at the age of 18 in 1983 in a game against Norway played in Oslo. He was part of the Romanian team until 2000.

Hagi led the Romanian team to its best ever international performance at the 1994 World Cup, where the team reached the quarterfinals before Sweden ended their run after winning the penalty shoot-out. Hagi scored three times in the tournament, including a memorable goal in their 3–2 surprise defeat of South American powerhouse and previous runners-up Argentina. In the first of Romania's group stage matches, against Colombia, Hagi scored one of the most memorable goals of that tournament, curling in a 40-yard lob over Colombian goalkeeper Oscar Córdoba who was caught out of position. He was named in the Team of the Tournament.

Four years later, after the 1998 World Cup, Hagi decided to retire from the national team, only to change his mind after a few months and play at the 2000 European Football Championship.

Hagi retired from professional football in 2001, age 36, in a game called "Gala Hagi" on the 24th of April. He still holds the record as Romanian national team top scorer.

Romania national football team

In 2001 Hagi was named the manager of Romania, replacing Ladislau Bölöni, who left the squad to coach Sporting Clube de Portugal. However, after failing to qualify the team for the World Cup, Hagi was sacked. His only notable achievement during the six months as Romania's manager was the win in Budapest against Hungary, the first of this kind for the Romania national football team.Bursaspor

In 2003, Hagi took over as coach of Turkish first division side Bursaspor, but left the club after a disappointing start to the season.
Galatasaray

He then became manager of Galatasaray in 2004, leading the team to the Turkish Cup in 2005 final with 5–1 as a score vs. their rivals Fenerbahçe SK
Politehnica Timişoara

Romanian team Steaua Bucureşti wanted to hire him in the summer of 2005, but Hagi's requested wage could not be met by the Romanian champions. Hagi became manager of FCU Politehnica Timişoara instead, and after a string of bad results and disagreements with the management, he left the club after a few months. Constanţa's main stadium used to bear his name, but the name was changed after Hagi signed with FCU Politehnica Timişoara.
From June 2007 to September 20, Hagi coached Steaua Bucureşti, had a mediocre start in the internal championship mainly due to the large number of unavailable injured players, managed to qualify the team for the second time in line to Champions League Groups passing two qualifying rounds. He resigned due to a long series of conflicts with the team's owner Gigi Becali, which also happens to be his godson. The main reason for resigning was the owner's policy of imposing players, making the team's strategy and threats. Hagi's resignation happened just a few hours after Steaua's first Champions League game in the actual season with Slavia Prague in Prague, Czech Republic, lost with 2–1.
Galatasaray

After Frank Rijkaard was sacked as coach, Hagi signed a one and a half year contract with Galatasaray on October 21, 2010. The official presentation was held on Friday, October 22.His former team mate from Galatasaray Tugay Kerimoglu will assist him in Istanbul.

As player
Sportul Studenţesc
Romanian League: Runner-up 1985–86
Steaua Bucureşti
Romanian League: 1987–88, 1988–88, 1988–89
Romanian Cup: 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89
European Super Cup: 1986
European Cup: Runner-up 1988–89
Real Madrid
Supercopa de España: 1990
La Liga: Runner-up 1991–92
Spanish Cup: Runner-up 1991–92
Brescia
Anglo-Italian Cup: 1993–94
FC Barcelona
Supercopa de España: 1994
Spanish Cup: Runner-up 1995–96
Galatasaray
Turkish Super League: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00
Turkish Cup: 1998–99, 1999–00
Turkish Super Cup: 1996, 1997
UEFA Cup: 1999–00
UEFA Super Cup: 2000
Individual
Romanian League: Top Scorer 1985, 1986
European Cup: Top Scorer 1988
Romanian Footballer of the Year: 1985, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1994
FIFA 100

Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Elena Comăneci (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈnadi.a koməˈnet͡ʃʲ]; born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian gymnast, winner of three Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and the first gymnast ever to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is also the winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics. She is one of the best-known gymnasts in the world .[1][2][3] In 2000 Comăneci was named as one of the athletes of the century by the Laureus World Sports Academy.
Comăneci was born in Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (now Oneşti), Romania, as the daughter of Gheorghe and Ştefania-Alexandrina.Her pregnant mother was watching a Russian film in which the heroine's name was Nadya, the diminutive version of the Russian name Nadezhda (which means "Hope"). She decided that her daughter would be named Nadia, too. Comăneci also has a younger brother named Adrian.
Nadia began gymnastics in kindergarten with a local team called "Flacara", with coaches Duncan and Munteanu.At age 6 she was chosen to attend Béla Károlyi's experimental gymnastics school after Karolyi spotted her and a friend turning cartwheels in a schoolyard.Nadia was training with the Károlyis by the time she was 7 years old, in 1968. She was one of the first students at the gymnastics school established in Oneşti by Béla and his wife, Marta, who would later defect to the United States and become coaches of many prominent American gymnasts. Unlike many of the other students at the Károlyi school, Comăneci was able to commute from home for many years because she lived in the area.Nadia placed 13th in her first Romanian National Championships in 1969. A year later, in 1970, she began competing as a member of her hometown team and became the youngest gymnast ever to win the Romanian Nationals.In 1971, she participated in her first international competition, a dual junior meet between Romania and Yugoslavia, winning her first all-around title and contributing to the team gold. For the next few years, she competed as a junior in numerous national contests in Romania and additional dual meets with nearby countries such as Hungary, Italy and Poland. At the age of 11, in 1973, she won the all-around gold, as well as the vault and uneven bars titles, at the Junior Friendship Tournament (Druzhba), an important meet for junior gymnasts.Nadia first major international success came at the age of 13, when she nearly swept the 1975 European Championships in Skien, Norway, winning the all-around and gold medals on every event but the floor exercise, in which she placed second. She continued to enjoy success in other meets in 1975, winning the all-around at the "Champions All" competition and placing first in the all-around, vault, beam, and bars at the Romanian National Championships. In the Pre-Olympic test event in Montreal, Comăneci won the all-around and the balance beam golds, as well as silvers in the vault, floor, and bars behind accomplished Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim, who would prove to be one of her greatest rivals over the next five years.In March 1976, Comăneci competed in the inaugural edition of the American Cup at Madison Square Garden in New York. She received unprecedented scores of 10.0, which signified a perfect routine without any deductions, on vault in both the preliminary and final rounds of competition and won the all-around.Comăneci also received 10s in other meets in 1976, including the prestigious Chunichi Cup competition in Japan, where she posted perfect marks on the vault and uneven bars .The international community took note of Comăneci: she was named the United Press International's "Female Athlete of the Year" for 1975.At the age of 14, Comăneci became one of the stars of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. During the team portion of the competition, her routine on the uneven bars was scored at a 10.0. It was the first time in modern Olympic gymnastics history that the score had ever been awarded. The scoreboards were not even equipped to display scores of 10.0—so Nadia's perfect marks were reported on the boards as 1.00 instead.Over the course of the Olympics, Comăneci would earn six additional 10s, en route to capturing the all-around, beam, and bars titles and a bronze medal on the floor exercise. The Romanian team also placed second in the team competition.Comăneci was the first Romanian gymnast to win the all-around title at the Olympics. She also holds the record as the youngest Olympic gymnastics all-around champion ever; with the revised age-eligibility requirements in the sport (gymnasts must now turn 16 in the calendar year to compete in the Olympics; in 1976 gymnasts had to be 14 by the first day of the competition), it is currently not possible to legally break this record.Comăneci's achievements at the Olympics generated a significant amount of media attention. The theme song from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless became associated with her after cinematographer/feature reporter Robert Riger used it against slow-motion montages of Nadia on the television program ABC's Wide World Of Sports. The song became a top ten single in the fall of 1976, and the composer, Barry De Vorzon, renamed it to "Nadia's Theme" after her.However, Comăneci never actually performed to "Nadia's Theme." Her floor exercise music was a medley of the songs "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump in the Line" arranged for piano.
Comăneci is active in many charities and international organizations. In 1999, she became the first athlete to be invited to speak at the United Nations to launch the Year 2000 International Year of Volunteers. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the Board Of Directors of the International Special Olympics and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.She has also personally funded the construction and operation of the Nadia Comăneci Children's Clinic, a clinic in Bucharest that provides low-cost and free medical and social support to Romanian children.
 In 2003, the Romanian government appointed her as an Honorary Consul General of Romania to the United States to deal with bilateral relations between the two nations. She performs this function based out of her Norman, Oklahoma, office.
In the world of gymnastics, Comăneci is the Honorary President of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the Honorary President of Romanian Olympic Committee, Ambassador of Sports of Romania and a member of the International Gymnastics Federation Foundation. She and her husband own the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, the Perfect 10 Production Company and several sports equipment shops. They are also the editors of International Gymnast magazine. Additionally, Comăneci and Conner have provided television commentary for many gymnastics meets, most recently the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne  and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In 2004, her 10.0 Montreal uneven bars routine was featured in a commercial for Adidas which ran during the Athens Olympics.
 On August 10, 2007, Nadia was a "mob" participant on the American version of the game show 1 vs 100, and was not eliminated until the last 20 members of the mob were left. In January 2008, she was one of the contestants in the celebrity edition of Donald Trump's television program The Apprentice.