Romanian athlete Iolanda Balas-Soter included in the IAAF Hall of Fame

The International Athletics Federation (IAAF) Hall of Fame or the so-called Pantheon of Glory, inaugurated in Barcelona to mark 100 years since the establishment of IAAF, includes Romanian high-jump legend Iolanda Balas Soter. She tops the list of the first 24 personalities in the world of athletics included in the Hall of Fame.

Balas Soter was a double Olympic champion (in 1960 in Rome and in 1964 in Tokyo), holder of 14 world records, twice European champion, twice world university champion, nine times Balkan champion, and also having set – in a feat unmatched by anyone – the records on 30 arenas of the world, from Bucharest to Rio de Janeiro. Balas is the first woman to have cleared six feet in 1961, a record that stood for the next decade.

The inaugural set is represented by a constellation of 24 stars of one century of athletics from 14 countries. The ceremony in Barcelona opened with the annual World Athletics Gala, where the peak sports performances of 2012 were awarded. Sprinters Usain Bolt (Jamaica) and Allyson Felix (USA) were named athletes of the year.

Attending the ceremony were Sorin Matei, president of the Romanian Athletics Federation (FRA) and Gabriela Szabo, FRA vice-president, member of the Council of the European Athletic Association.

Oana Vasiliu