Tereza Marinova (Bulgaria) competing at the 2002 European Indoor Championships (© Getty Images)
Bulgaria’s Tereza Marinova, the 2000 Olympic Triple Jump champion, disappeared suddenly from the competition scene after winning the 2002 European Indoor title in Vienna last winter, missing the whole outdoor season.
Marinova had followed up her Olympic win at the 2001 IAAF World Indoor championships in Lisbon with a victory, one of the few Sydney champions to succeed in this task. Then in the summer she jumped a spectacular 14.89m (wind assisted) mark in the qualification at the outdoor World’s in Edmonton, but in the final had to give best to a 15.25m leap - third longest jump in history - by Russia Tatyana Lebedeva, finishing with the bronze medal.
However, after three wins on the 2002 European indoor tour, the then 24 year old Marinova reached the European Indoor championships in Vienna last March, fully back into winning ways taking the continental gold with a second round 14.81m. Yet that was the last the Athletics' world was to hear of the Bulgarian for the rest of 2002.
So what was the reason for her long absence from the triple jump runway?
“I was in excellent shape for the European Championships in Vienna,” confirmed Marinova. “I felt like I could jump near 15m indoors. But the take-off board was too stiff. After my fourth attempt I felt a sharp pane in my left leg, and I was forced to curtail my competition.“
”After a month and half of training with that pain, I finally realised that I had to interrupt my training sessions. After consulting with a famous sport doctor I had to make a difficult decision - to undergo a surgery. I arranged to travel to Helsinki, Finland and there, on 10 April 2002 I underwent a surgery of my left Achilles tendon.”
"The surgery was successful. After a month or so I even began to walk slowly. At the end of June I felt better and began some very slight training sessions. But after a while, I decided along with my coach Khristo Markov not to force things. We considered that It would be better not to rush, possibly over loading my weak leg and so postponed my ambitions for the 2003 season. Now everything with my training is O.K. I have new training partner - Rostislav Dimitrov (17.49 m).”
What are your plans for the 2003 outdoor & indoor season?
“I would not wish to hurry, neither is it necessary at all…… we’re planning (with my coach Khristo Markov) to open the season with participation at the Indoor meeting in Gent on 9 February. However, I’m also planning to be in good shape enough for the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham….”.
”I’m presently living in a sort of ignorance about my current abilities - I was out of the infield for such a long time. I aim to capture a medal at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham and later in the summer to win the outdoor title in Paris – as a outdoor World Championship victory is missing from my medal collection.”
“I need to land beyond 15m this summer. My next goal is to better my own Bulgarian record (15.20 m). I think that jumps somewhere around 15.25 to 15.30 metres won’t be a miracle.”
”I also hope to give enough time to the long jump - I guess that there my capabilities for improvement are greater - I hope to achieve something like 6.70 to 6.80m.”
“As to my major competitors, I send warm regards to my greatest rival Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia. I’m really very happy that she has had a baby and I wish her a speedy recovery and return to the track…Concerning Francoise Mbango from Cameroon - I’m not surprised at all about her performances recently - I guess she has a great future. Also, to Britain’s Ashia Hansen I send my admiration. She gathered all her strength to fight against so many personal troubles and to come back to the top of the triple jump group.”
Aleksandar Vangelov for the IAAF
