Athlete of the week

Athlete Madalina Florea

Steliu Lambru, 13.06.2023, 13:45

Athlete Mădălina Florea came in 6th in the women’s Mountain classic event as part of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championship in Austria’s Innsbruck-Stubai. Madalina clocked one hour, seven minutes and 25 hundredths of a second, in the 15.5- kilometer event, held at an altitude of 760 meters, The winner was US athlete Grayson Murphy, with a timing of one hour, four minutes and 29 seconds, As part of the same event, Magdalena Bosânceanu came in 46th, Adelina Panaet came in 48th, while Liliana Dragomir came in 54th.

For her remarkable feat in the recently-held Championships, Radio Romania International has designated Mădălina Florea the Athlete of the week.

30-year-old Madalina Florea was born on February 3rd, 1993 in central Romania’s Sighisoara. Initially, Madalina was into rhythmic gymnastics for three years, trying her hand at the ribbon, rope, ball and the pair of clubs. Madalina Florea took a completely different career path in sports, taking up athletics and also playing football with her colleagues while on training sessions. In her senior’s career, Madalina scooped gold in the semi-marathon held in Bucharest, in 2014. Then in Great Britain’s Birmingham, in 2016, Madalina walked away with silver, also in the semi-marathon. Also in 2016, she won bronze in the teams’ competition as part of the European cross-country Championships in Chia, Italy. In 2017, in Abidjan on the Ivory Coast, Madalina took part in the Francophony Games, where she came in 4th in the 5,000m race. As part of the same event, Madalina Florea came in 3rd in the 10,000m race.

In 2018, Madalina sustained a serious ankle injury and the ensuing surgical operation kept her away from the track for one year. In 2019 however, she had a vigorous comeback and won the semi-marathon in Bucharest, reenacting her performance of 2014. Also in 2019, at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championship held in Angostura, Argentina, Madalina walked home with bronze in the nations’ competition. In 2022, Madalina Florea’s record included a silver medal in the World Mountain Running Championship in El Paso, Spain.