Gabriela Szabo of Romania wins the 3000m in Zurich Golden League meet (© Getty Images)
Romania’s Olympic 5000m champion Gabriela Szabo has made the dramatic decision to end her entire 2004 season including her Olympic campaign after just one competition, having failed to finish an indoor 5000m race in Birmingham last Friday (20 Feb).
Szabo, 28, is completely exhausted after 10 years at the very top of world athletics. The extended break from training which she took after last summer’s World Championships in Paris has not been enough to allow her body to recover. In Paris on 30 August 2003, Szabo was left well off the pace in the World 5000m final, and finally finished a disappointing eleventh (14:59.36).
“I felt burnt out and over trained after the World Championships in Paris last year,“ confirmed Szabo. “The doctor advised me to take a long rest, so I took two and a half months off from training.”
“I then started training again and after a training camp at altitude I returned to Europe one week before the meeting in Birmingham. During the race there the feeling was still not good and I realised that I still needed a longer period of rest after already being on the top level for 10 years.”
”This means that I will not compete in the Olympic Games. I hope to come back to the top-level in the future,“ concluded Szabo.
To date, Szabo has amassed a staggering number of international honours in her glittering career. 1999 was perhaps the greatest of her years, as she powered to a brilliant double at the World Indoors (1500m and 3000m), won the outdoor World title at 5000m, and took a half-share of the US $1 million IAAF Golden League Jackpot for her seven wins at 3000m/5000m, and also picked up the overall IAAF Grand Prix title.
Szabo’s major Championships record -
1500m – 1996 Olympic silver, 1999 World Indoor gold, 2000 Olympic bronze (tripped at the bell), 2001 World Championships gold, silver European Championships.
3000m – 1994 European Championships bronze, 1995/1997/1999 World Indoor gold (silver 2001), 1998/2000 European Indoor gold; 1998 World Cup win (2002 2nd).
5000m - 1997/1999 World Championships gold; 1998 European Championships silver, 2000 Olympic gold 14:57.68.