Valentina Enachi (born 15 February 1966 in

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ), also known as Kishinev (russian: Кишинёв, r=Kishinjóv ), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial center, and is located in the ...

), also known as Valentina Enaki in sports world, is a

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...

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 specialised in

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

competitions, including 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 ...

. She represented Moldova in the event at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. She competed mostly in France and won the

Tiberias Marathon The Tiberias Marathon is an annual marathon road race held along the Sea of Galilee in Israel. At approximately 200 meters below sea level, this is the lowest course in the world. The competition was first held in 1977, and also hosts the annual I ...

Lausanne Marathon The Lausanne Marathon is an annual marathon race held in the Swiss city of Lausanne since 1993. The road race generally takes place in October, while the 20 km of Lausanne takes place in April. A half marathon and multiple races (run, walk ...

and

La Rochelle Marathon The Marathon de La Rochelle is an annual road running event which takes place in late November in La Rochelle, France. It features a full 42.195 km marathon race as well a 10 km race for amateur runners, a half marathon for wheelchair at ...

Career

Enaki began her international career representing the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. She ran in the British 100 km Championships in 1990 and came second with a time of 8:48:39 hours. She also ran at the

that year and won the race in a little over three hours. Following the declaration of

Independence of Moldova The independence of Moldova was officially recognized on 2 March 1992, when Moldova gained membership of the United Nations. The nation had declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 27 August 1991, and was a co-founder of the post-Soviet ...

in August 1991, she represented her new country at the Crete Marathon, winning in a time of 2:50:37 hours. She began competing on the road running circuit in France in the 1990s, winning the Futuroscope Marathon in 1994 and the 1995 Liberté Marathon in

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Lausanne Marathon The Lausanne Marathon is an annual marathon race held in the Swiss city of Lausanne since 1993. The road race generally takes place in October, while the 20 km of Lausanne takes place in April. A half marathon and multiple races (run, walk ...

in 1995 (she went on to win a second title in 2001). In March 1996 she won the Alençon-Médavy 15.4 km race and then set a Moldovan record over 20 km with her winning time of 1:10:06 at the

Maroilles 20K Maroilles may refer to: * Maroilles, Nord, a commune in France ** Maroilles Abbey, a Benedictine abbey in Maroilles, Nord ** Maroilles cheese Maroilles (; also known as Marolles, or simply known as Maroilles) is a cow's-milk cheese made in the r ...

.Lefeuvre, Thierry (30 September 2010)
Maroilles 20 km
ARRS. Retrieved on 2011-06-27. Enaki was the first women's 10K winner at the

Corrida de Langueux The Corrida de Langueux is an annual 10 kilometres road running competition which is held in Langueux, Brittany, France every June. The competition is organised by the Union Athlétique Langueux. The elite 10K races for men and women have IAA ...

and she ran in the

Olympic marathon The marathon at the Summer Olympics is the only road running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's marathon has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. Nearly ninety years later, the women's event was added to the pro ...

at the

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, ...

, albeit as an unofficial competitor. Later that season she took the women's title at the La Coulée Verte Half Marathon in

Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the u ...

. At the start of 1997, she opened her year by winning the Val Nantais Marathon and just one week after her marathon outing, she ran and won at the La Rochelle Half Marathon. A second consecutive win came at the Maroilles race and she ran course record and personal best of 2:31:22 hours to win the Lyon Marathon. She was also fifth at the Jungfrau-Marathon that year. In 1999 she won two road races: the Courses Pédestres d'Arras 10K and the Saint Pol-Morlaix Half Marathon. Enachi came fifth at the 2000

Paris Marathon The Paris Marathon (french: Marathon de Paris) is an annual marathon hosted by the city of Paris, France. It is the marathon with the second-most finishers in the world, behind the New York City Marathon. The marathon begins along the Champs ...

and her time of 2:33:28 hours qualified her to compete at the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. She ran in her second Olympic marathon race but she didn't manage to finish the distance. Following her appearance on the Olympic stage she had back-to-back wins at the

in 2001 and 2002. She also won the 2001 Murtenlauf and in 2002 she topped the podium at the Cannes Half Marathon and Marathon du Mont Saint-Michel (setting a career best of 2:30:06 hours at the latter competition).Cannes Half Marathon
ARRS (23 March 2011). Retrieved on 2011-06-27.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Enachi, Valentina 1966 births Living people Moldovan female marathon runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Moldova Sportspeople from Chișinău Soviet female marathon runners