Grete Waitz

Grete Waitz, born as Grete Andersen ( born October 1, 1953 in Oslo, † April 19, 2011 ibid ) was a Norwegian long-distance runner and world record holder.

Life

Grete Waitz began exercising as a child different sports, including handball and gymnastics. As a twelve year old, she joined a sports club in Oslo and jumped as high jumper 1,61 m. About the Sprint they came to middle distance running and denied at the age of 15 years first cross races. A year later she won the Norwegian Junior Championships in the 400 - and 800 -meter run and placed as a 17 -year-old a new European junior record in the 1500 meter run ( 4:17,0 min).

At the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972 she retired from about 1500 m in the flow as it did at the European Championships in 1971. In 1974 she won at the European Athletics Championships in Rome bronze over the same distance. The following year, she married Jack Waitz, and noted with 8:46,6 min on a world record over 3000 m, they improved on 8:45,4 min 1976.

In Montreal at the Olympic Games in 1976, she reached the semi-finals over 1500 m. In Glasgow in 1978 she became world champion in cross-country running. In the summer, followed by a bronze in the 3,000 m at the European Championships in Prague. In the fall they started at the New York City Marathon. Actually she wanted to end her career with this race; However, she remained with 2:32:30 hours by more than two minutes, the marathon world record by Christa Vahlensieck and had now found their special distance. In the next two years, they improved that mark their launch in New York City at 2:27:33 and 2:25:42 h h; however, the New York course presented at a final measurement in 1981 as 150 m to short out.

Also at the World Cross Country Championships held their winning streak to: 1979 in Limerick, 1980 in Paris and 1981 in Madrid, she won gold. The Olympic boycott their country prevented participation in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

In 1982 a bronze medal at the World Cross Country Championships in Rome another victory in New York City, where she needed 2:27:14 hours for now correctly measured 42.195 km.

She won at the 1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Gateshead, the London Marathon in a world record time of 2:25:29 h, the marathon of the World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki and for the fourth time in New York City. After a bronze medal at the World Cross Country Championships in 1984 in East Rutherford, she started at the premiere of the Olympic marathon woman at the Games in Los Angeles and won behind Joan Benoit the silver medal. This brought Waitz in their home country the Fearnleys olympiske ærespris one.

For further starts on the King distance they triumphed in 1985, 1986 and 1988 with three more victories in New York City and is so to this day record winner in this race. In 1986, she won another victory in London. In 1988, she won the Stockholm Marathon and placed there the valid to date course record. In a marathon, the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, she gave up because of an injury. The end of her career she was a professional player in 1990 Fourth in New York City. In 1992, she accompanied the New York City Marathon, Fred Lebow, the race director of this race with cancer that started on his 60th birthday for the first time in "his" run.

More success in road races are victories at the New York Mini 10K ( 1979-1982, 1984), the Falmouth Road Race ( 1980), the Zurich Silvesterlauf (1981 ), in the San Silvestre Vallecana (1981 ), the Göteborgsvarvet (1982 ), the Greifenseelauf ( 1982, 1983, 1986), the Great North Run (1984, 1988), at Paderborn Easter Run (1986, with former world record over 25 km) and at Bay to Breakers (1986) and the Grand Prix of Bern (1988).

In Norway, Grete Waitz is considered sporting legend. Six times she was national champion in the 800 m, 1500 m over eight times, five times over 3000 meters and in cross country eleven times on the short and three times on the long distance. In the hall they 1972 Norwegian champion in the 800 m. A statue of her stands before the Bislett Stadium in Oslo. 1975, 1977, 1979, 1983, she was voted Norway's Sportswoman of the Year 1977 awarded the Morgenbladet gold medal.

To mark the 30th anniversary of their first victory graced the marathon medal of the New York City Marathon in 2008, a portrait of Norwegian.

2005 Grete Waitz announced in public that she was suffering from cancer and to subject them to chemotherapy. In 2011 she succumbed to the disease.

Personal Best

  • 400 m: 57.6 s, May 24 1972 Oslo
  • 800 m: 2:03,1 min, July 3, 1975, Oslo (former Norwegian record )
  • 1000 m: 2:39,74 min, September 9, 1977, London (former Norwegian record )
  • 1500 m: 4:00,55 min, September 3, 1978, Prague ( Norwegian record )
  • 1 miles: 4:26,90 min, 9th July 1978 Gateshead ( Norwegian record )
  • 2000 m: 5:47,1 min, January 8, 1978 Newcastle ( Norwegian record )
  • 3000 m: 8:31,75 min, July 17, 1979 Oslo ( Norwegian record ) Hall: 8:50,8 min, January 4, 1980, Daly City (former Norwegian record )

Awards

On November 14, 2013 Grete Waitz was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the World Association of Athletics Federations ( IAAF).

Long-distance running Cross country running 1971 European Athletics Championships 1974 European Athletics Championships 3000 metres 1978 IAAF World Cross Country Championships 1978 European Athletics Championships New-York-City-Marathon 1979 IAAF World Cross Country Championships 1980 IAAF World Cross Country Championships 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships 1982 IAAF World Cross Country Championships London-Marathon 1983 World Championships in Athletics 1984 IAAF World Cross Country Championships Stockholm-Marathon Bislett-Stadion 400 metres Middle-distance running#1000 m Mile run Daly City, California 5000 metres Tampa, Florida South Shields International Association of Athletics Federations Chicago Tribune Rosa Mota Wanda Panfil Hiromi Suzuki (athlete) Catherine Ndereba Bai Xue Integrated Authority File
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