Iolanda Balaș

Iolanda Balaș (Romanian pronunciation: [joˈlanda ˈbalaʃ], Hungarian: Balázs Jolán, later Balázs-Sőtér Jolán; 12 December 1936 – 11 March 2016) was a Romanian Olympic athlete. She was a champion and former world record holder in the women's high jump. She was the first Romanian woman to win an Olympic gold medal and is considered to have been one of the greatest high jumpers of the twentieth century.

Iolanda Balaș
Balaș in 1967
Personal information
Born(1936-12-12)12 December 1936
Timișoara, Romania
Died11 March 2016(2016-03-11) (aged 79)
Bucharest, Romania
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)High jump
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1.91 m (1961)
Medal record
Representing  Romania
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome High jump
Gold medal – first place 1964 Tokyo High jump
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1958 Stockholm High jump
Gold medal – first place 1962 Belgrade High jump
Silver medal – second place 1954 Berne High jump
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1959 Torino High jump
Gold medal – first place 1961 Sofia High jump

Balaș was diagnosed several years ago with type II diabetes. She died in Bucharest, Romania from complications from a gastric disorder, at the age of 79.[1][2]

References
  1. "Romanian high jumper Iolanda Balas dies at 79". The New Zealand Herald. 12 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  2. "High jump legend Balas dies". IAAF. Retrieved 12 March 2016.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.