Obituaries for Political Reasons

nominated for the Romanian team and at the Olympic trial races in Obituaries for political reasons. Seefeld where he defeated the entire In 1957, soon after Bala¸s had world top class. equalled the world record of the Siebert’s time did not, however, American Olympic champion come until the introduction of the Mildred McDaniel (1.76 m), she lost small calibre rifle: in 1978 world it to the Chinese Chen Feng-jung champion in the relay, in 1978/79 (1.77 m), whose performance she winner in the composite world cup, out-jumped the following year by a in 1979 world champion over 20 centimetre. From then on, she was km and in the relay. At the Olympic regarded as unbeatable. During Winter Games in 1980 in Lake Placid, the next eight years, she won 140 he achieved silver in the relay and competitions consecutively, as well was fourth over 10 km. as triumphing at the Olympic Games A mechanical engineer and later in Rome and Tokyo and the European police officer, Siebert worked with Championships of 1958 and 1962. young athletes from 1984. Among Surprisingly, she was missing in his protégés was Ricco Gross, winner 1966 at the European Championships of four Olympic gold, three silver in Budapest, having just become and two bronze medals from 1992 to the Romanian champion with 2006. Iolanda Bala¸s, married Söter (ROU), 1.84 m. The official reason given From 1994 to 1998 he was trainer *12 December 1936 in Timi¸soara, †11 was a problem with her Achilles at the Federal Performance Centre March 2016 in Bucharest. The two- tendon. But as the IAAF introduced of Altenberg and co-trainer of the time Olympic champion in high jump feminity checks at the same time, men’s national team from 1998 to of 1960 and 1964, whose father was this gave rise to speculation, as in 2002. Between 2002 and 2005, he Romanian, her mother Hungarian Budapest the coach and not Bala¸s was responsible for the shooting and a grandmother German, began had appeared before the medical training of the Austrian biathletes. with athletics in Timi¸soara and commission, only to inform them After a period as chief coach in moved to Bucharest in 1951. There, that she would not compete. She the People’s Republic of China, he the equally active high jumper Ion competed for the last time on 10th went to Belarus, where he coached Söter (1927-1987) became her coach – June 1967 at the International Darya Domracheva, the triple to start with unofficially and from Romanian Championships (1.68 m, Olympic champion of Sochi 2014. 1957 on a more formal basis. As a 17 second place). Shortly before his 61st birthday he year old, Bala¸s was runner-up in the Bala¸s, who had married Ion succumbed to cancer. (VK) European Championships behind Söter in 1958, worked for a while Thelma Hopkins (GBR). as lecturer at Bucharest University. Sarah Tait, née Outhwaite (AUS), Extraordinarily slim and 1.85 m After that she was a sports teacher *23 January 1983 in Perth, Western tall, she set the first of her 14 world at a children’s and youth sports Australia (AUS), †3 March 2016 in records on 14th July 1956 with an school and from 1973 was a trainer Melbourne. She began rowing old-fashioned-looking scissors with Steaua Bucharest. In 1970, her when only nine years old. She technique and cleared 1.75 m son Doru-Franky (in the photograph studied environmental science and in Bucharest. Her last and best with his parents) was born. From agriculture at school, but continued performance (1.91 m in 1961) was 1988 to 2005 Iolanda Söter-Bala¸s to row, making her first international not improved on until 1971 when the was President of the Romanian appearance at the 2000 World Austrian Ilona Gusenbauer bettered Athletics Federation. (VK) Juniors, where she won a silver in it by one centimetre. the junior women’s coxless four. Although she spent a good five Klaus Siebert (GDR), *29 April She competed at three Olympics weeks in Australia before the start 1955 in Schlettau; †24 April 2016 (2004-12), the first as Sarah of the 1956 Games, Bala¸s had to in Altenberg/Erzgebirge. “Sieb”, Outhwaite, then as Sarah Tait, accept unexpected defeat and as he was called, grew up in the finally winning an Olympic medal came only fifth. The absence of Ion Erzgebirge, where he was accepted at London with a silver in the coxless Söter contributed to this. In 1952, into the biathlon training centre of pairs. At the senior international he was sixth in the Helsinki Games, the East German police. His first big level, her greatest victory came in and despite setting a national year was 1975, when he came third in winning a gold medal in the eights at record (2.055 m) in 1956, he was not the World Championships over 10 km the 2005 World Championships. She JOH 2 | 2016 Obituaries 71.

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