| THE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:NICOLETA GRASU 25/09/2009 |
| (2009-08-25) |
| Last updated: 2009-08-26 14:52 EET |
Jamaican Usain Bolt, the fastest man on the planet, has again made history at the recently ended world athletics championships in Berlin. Bolt has broken the world record in the 100 meter race, also reaping medals in the 200 meter and 4X100 meter events.
Romania was represented in Berlin by a delegation of women athletes and got only one medal, when Nicoleta Grasu came third in the discus throw event. In the finals, the Romanian managed a throw of 65 meters and 20 centimeters, her best performance this season. The world title was won by Australian Dani Samuels, with 65 meters and 44 centimeters. Cuban Yarelis Barrios came second with a throw 65 meters and 31 centimeters.
Nicoleta Grasu has one of the longest careers in sports in Romania. She was born in Neamt county, eastern Romania on September the 16th 1971 and has devoted 23 years to athletics.
She took up discus throw at the school sports club in Roman, and her first big achievement was qualification for the Olympics in Barcelona, in 1992. Her best performances in the next two years were in Grand Prix athletics tournaments. Since 1999 she has been coached by her husband Costel Grasu, under whose guidance she clinched bronze medals in world championships in 1999 in Seville and in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada.
In 2003, Nicoleta gave birth to a son named Stephen, but had a rapid come back and she even managed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where she came sixth in the world. She has lately kept a top position in the world standings, reaping medals in the European championships in Gothenborg and in the world tournament in Osaka in 2007. At the Olympic Games in Beijing she made it to the finals but came only 12th, a result which nearly convinced her to give up sports. Luckily she became more optimistic and she has recently proved in Berlin, that she still has more to say in athletics competitions.
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2026-06-05
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