News21 Jan 2003


Simon aims to defend World crown

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Lidia Simon with the Romanian flag after winning the 2001 World Marathon title (© Getty Images)

Romania’s Lidia Simon, the reigning World Marathon champion, who gave birth to a baby boy on 24 December in Boulder, Colorado, USA, is already focused on the defence of her World crown in Paris this summer.

Simon’s son, weighed in at 3.8 kilos and is to be named Christian.

Simon who has also twice been World bronze medallist at the Marathon (1997 & 1999), owns a property in Boulder, and will remain there for a few more weeks with her husband Liviu who is also her coach, before returning to Romania to commence full training.

News of other prominent Romanian athletes –
 
Ionela Tirlea, the 1999 World Indoor 200m champion, who won the European 400m Hurdles title last summer will not compete in the indoor season at all, citing instead the outdoor World Championships in Paris as her goal for the year.

Tirlea who has recently returned from a holiday in Canada where her fiancée lives, has changed her coach and is now trained by former top heptathlete Liliana Nastase. She will shortly set off for a training spell in Tunisia.

Violeta Szekely who has been the 1500m silver medallist at the last two World Indoor Chgampionships, will contest the indoor season. Currently coaching in Bucharest where she lives with her husband and coach Adrian - they jointly own a small furniture factory in the Romanian capital -  she is training with the assistance of a young Moroccan runner - name unknown.

Finally, Szekely’s arch rival Gabriela Szabo, the World 1500m and Olympic 5000m champion is currently training at altitude in South Africa, near Johannesburg.
 
Andrei Nourescu for the IAAF.

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