Elena Fidatov, sometimes known as ''Elena Fidatof'', (born 24 July 1960) is a former

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n middle- and

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who competed in

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

, and

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

competitions. In a period spanning 1984 to 2002, she competed at

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

on thirteen occasions, making her one of the most frequent participants at the event.Mombasa 2007 Facts and Figures
(pg.7).

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

. Retrieved on 2011-03-15. She is a two-time Olympian for Romania, having represented her country at the

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

and

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

.Elena Fidatov
Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2011-03-15. She ran on the track at the

IAAF World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...

on three occasions, competing in events from

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

. She was integral to a number of team medal performances for Romania at the World Cross Country event and also the

IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The World Athletics Half Marathon Championships is a biennial international half marathon competition organised by World Athletics. The competition was launched as the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1992 and held annually until 2010. It ...

. Individually, she won a bronze and a silver medal at the

European Cross Country Championships The European Cross Country Championships is an annual international cross country running competition. Organised by the European Athletic Association, it is the area championships for the region and is held in December each year. The championships ...

in 1994 and 1997, respectively. Her later career was marred by doping incidents; she was reprieved of a failed test in 1996 but received a two-year ban from the sport in 1998 after testing positive for the

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone (medication), testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related ...

nandrolone Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) which is used in the form of esters such as nandrolone decanoate (brand name Deca-Durabolin) and nandrolone phenylpropionate (brand name Durabolin). Nandrolon ...

Career

Born in

Tulcea Tulcea (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea County, and had a population of 73,707 . One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city. Names Th ...

, Romania, Elena Fidatov-Moruzov made her international debut at the

1984 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1984 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States, at the Meadowlands Racetrack on March 25, 1984. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald. Complete results for men, junior m ...

, reaching the top 40 in the women's long race. She was much improved at the 1985 World Cross Country event and her tenth-place finish helped the Romanian women, led by Fiţa Lovin, to the team

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

. She was third at the

Balkan Cross Country Championships The Balkan Cross Country Championships has since 1958 been an annual regional international competition in cross country running amongst athletes from the Balkans. It forms part of the Balkan Games, the latter an event to encourage the relations amo ...

that year and succeeded her compatriot Mariana Chirila to the title the following season.Karamata, Ozren & Gasparovic, Juraj (2011-03-15)
Balkan Crosscountry Championships

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

. Retrieved on 2011-03-15. Fidatov came ninth in the long race at the

1986 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1986 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Colombier, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, at the Planeyse Colombier on March 23, 1986. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald and in the Evening Times. Complete results f ...

. She did not compete internationally in the late 1980s. Fidatov took the Balkan Cross Country title for a second time in 1990, but managed only 60th place on the world stage. That same year she was fifth over

at the

1990 European Athletics Championships The 15th European Athletics Championships were held from 26 August to 2 September 1990 in Split, Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. The host stadium was Stadion Poljud. It was the last participation of East Germany (which was already scheduled to be merged ...

. Her focus began to turn to

track running Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

and she competed in the 1500 m finals at both the

1991 World Championships in Athletics The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1. 1517 athletes from 167 countries participa ...

and the

1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

. She doubled up for the

1993 World Championships in Athletics The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Neckarstadium, Stuttgart, Germany between 13 and 22 August with the participation of 187 nations. Having ori ...

, running in both the 1500 m and

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

, although she failed to progress from the heats stage in either discipline. Her performances did earn her a place in the 3000 m at the

1993 IAAF Grand Prix Final The 1993 IAAF Grand Prix Final was the ninth edition of the season-ending competition for the IAAF Grand Prix track and field circuit, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was held on 10 September at the Crystal P ...

, where she finished sixth. She also improved in the World Cross Country Championships over this period, coming 25th and 26th in the 1992 and 1993 editions, respectively. With no major track events for prepare for in 1994, her major outing of the year was at the

1994 European Cross Country Championships The 1st European Cross Country Championships were held at Alnwick in England on 10 December 1994. Paulo Guerra took the title in the men's competition and Catherina McKiernan won the women's race. Results European Athletic Association: ''Statistic ...

, where she took the bronze medal and led Romania to the team title with Chirila and

Margareta Keszeg Margareta Keszeg (born 31 August 1965) is a retired middle distance runner from Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, U ...

. She also made her debut at the

1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 3rd IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on September 24, 1994, in Oslo, Norway. A total of 214 athletes, 127 men and 87 women, from 48 countries took part. Complete results were published. Medallists Race Results Men's Wome ...

, where she was fifth and easily took the team title alongside medallists Iulia Negura and

Anuța Cătună Anuța Cătună (born October 1, 1968, in Lunca Ilvei, Bistrița-Năsăud) is a former female long-distance runner from Romania, who represented her native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1996. She won the 1996 edition of t ...

. Fidatov competed in world-level events on the road, track and grass in the 1995 season, beginning with 23rd place and a team bronze at the

1995 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1995 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Durham, United Kingdom, at the University of Durham on 25 March 1995. A report on the event was given in ''The New York Times'' and in the Herald A herald, or a herald of ar ...

, tenth in the

final at the

1995 World Championships in Athletics The 5th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden on 5–13 August 1995. This edition featured 1804 athletes from 191 nat ...

, and culminating in a team gold medal for her sixth-place finish at the

1995 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 4th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 1, 1995, from Montbéliard to Belfort, France. A total of 243 athletes, 147 men and 96 women, from 54 countries took part. Complete results were published. Medallists Race Res ...

. Her 1996 season started with controversy as she failed a

doping test A drug test is a technical analysis of a biological specimen, for example urine, hair, blood, breath, sweat, or oral fluid/saliva—to determine the presence or absence of specified parent drugs or their metabolites. Major applications of drug ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

for a banned

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...

. However, she escaped punishment as a panel accepted that she had used the substance to treat her kidney pain."Cazul Fidatov" - analizat de Federatie
. ''Ziarul de Iasi'' (1998-03-10). Retrieved on 2011-03-15. She retained her World Cross bronze in 1996, in a Romanian team led by an emerging

Gabriela Szabo Gabriela Szabo (, hu, Szabó Gabriella; born 14 November 1975) is a retired Romanian runner. She competed in the 1500 m and 5000 m events at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal. Szabo is a three-time world c ...

. Her second Olympic appearance, representing Romania in the 5000 m at the

1996 Atlanta Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in August, saw her claim a career best finish in a global track final by coming seventh overall. The following month, she was selected for the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

relay at the 1996

IAAF World Road Relay Championships The IAAF World Road Relay Championships was a biennial international athletics competition in long-distance relay running. First organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1992, the championship ran for four edit ...

and the team (including Iulia Ionescu, Chirila, Lelia Deselnecu, Negura and Luminita Gogârlea) finished as runners-up behind the Ethiopian women. She had a highly successful cross country season in 1997, taking a series of high-profile circuit wins including the

Antrim International Cross Country The Antrim International Cross Country, formerly the Belfast International Cross Country, is an annual cross country running meeting which takes place every January in Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is one of the IAAF's cross country permit meeti ...

Cross Zornotza The Cross Internacional Zornotza is an annual cross country running event which takes place in January in Amorebieta-Etxano (Zornotza), the Basque Country, Spain. The competition was first held in 1954 and has taken place every year since, with th ...

Cross de San Sebastián The Cross Internacional de San Sebastián, also known as the ''Cross Internacional de Donostia'', is an annual cross country running event which is staged in late January in San Sebastián, Spain. The competition was first held in 1956 as a men's ...

Cross Internacional de Itálica The Cross Internacional de Itálica is an annual cross country running competition that is held every January in Santiponce, near Seville, Spain. Inaugurated in 1982, the race course is set in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Itálica. As on ...

Eurocross Eurocross is an annual international cross country running competition which takes place in Diekirch, Luxembourg in February. It is one of the IAAF permit meetings which serve as qualifying events for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. ...

, and

Almond Blossom Cross Country The Almond Blossom Cross Country ( pt, Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor) is an annual international cross country running competition which takes place in Albufeira, in the Algarve region of Portugal, in early March. It is one of the IAA ...

. These performances helped rank her in second place on that year's

IAAF World Cross Challenge The IAAF World Cross Challenge was an annual global series of cross country running competitions organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Athletes accumulated points in the series' cross country meets during the s ...

, behind winner

Gete Wami Getenesh "Gete" Wami Degife (Amharic: ጌጤነሽ 'ጌጤ' ዋሚ ደግፌ born December 11, 1974 in Debre Berhan) is an Ethiopian former long-distance runner who competed in cross country, track, and road events. Her brother, Mulugeta Wami ...

. The thirty-six-year-old also had one of her highest placings at the

1997 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1997 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on 23 March 1997. The races were held at the Parco del Valentino in Torino, Italy. A report of the event was given in ''The New York Times'', in the Herald, and for the IAAF. Compl ...

, coming twelfth in the women's long race. She ended the year with a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

at the

1997 European Cross Country Championships The 4th European Cross Country Championships were held at Oeiras in Portugal on 14 December 1997. Danish orienteer Carsten Jørgensen took the title in the men's competition and Joalsiae Llado won the women's race. Results Men individual 10km ...

, leading Romania to second place in the team rankings. She failed a doping control test at the 1998 Cross Zornotza after

was detected in her system, an infraction which led to a two-year ban from the sport. She did not stop her training during this period and received clearance from the

to take part in the

2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 18/19, 2000. The races were held at the Sporting Complex in Vilamoura, Portugal. Reports of the event were given in ''The New York Times'', in the Herald, and for the IAAF ...

. She managed 46th in the short race but only 68th place in the long race that year. She competed twice more at the event, taking 13th in the short race in 2001 (leading Romania to the bronze) and finishing 41st in 2002.Fidatov, Elena

. Retrieved on 2011-03-16. These performances brought her total number of career appearances at the competition to thirteen. In 2000, at the age of 40, she ran the 5,000 metres on the track in 15:20.59 to win the Romanian National Championships. The time is the current W40 Masters World Record in the event.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fidatov, Elena Living people 1960 births People from Tulcea Romanian female middle-distance runners Romanian female long-distance runners Olympic athletes for Romania Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Romanian sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in athletics World record holders in masters athletics Sportspeople from Tulcea County

Career

See also

References

External links