Romania's Gabriela Szabo, middle-distance legend and European Athletics Council member, has been appointed Minister of Youth and Sport in the proposed structure of her country's new government.
Szabo is on the IAAF Women's Committee and is Vice President of the Romanian Athletics Federation.
The 38-year-old said, “One of my priorities is to develop grassroots sport in parallel with high performance sport. Neither can be neglected.
“There are many things to do in Romanian sport. We need results, because performance brings spectators in the stands and performance attracts sponsors.”
Known for her economical running style comprised of small but frequent strides, Szabo had a formidable finish that often made the difference.
During her career, Szabo reached a height very few athletes attain, winning titles in three consecutive World Championships over 5000m in 1997 in Athens and 1999 in Sevilla, then taking gold in 2001 over 1500m in Edmonton.
She was also crowned Olympic champion in the 5000m in Sydney 2000, holding off Ireland’s Sonia O’Sullivan down the final stretch.
It looked like she was going to take the 1500m as well, but a fall mid-way through the final cost her gold by 0.17 but she still managed to recover bronze.
The European outdoor title is the only one to have eluded her, with two silvers from Budapest in 1998 and Munich in 2002.
She retired from the sport in 2005 and has since continued to serve athletics, including being director of marketing and communications for the national athletics federation.
Szabo is also the founder of the ‘Sport for Life’ campaign in her country, promoting the core values of athletics, and also holds a PhD in Physical Education and Sport.
She is a terrific role model for other women in athletics, and was rewarded with the International Olympic Committee “Women in Sport” distinction in 2009.In 2011 she was elected as a European Athletics Council Member and is still serving her term with great success.