Olga Cristea of Moldova wins the women's 800m at the 2006 IAAF World Junior Championships (© Getty Images)
Olga Cristea and Ion Luchianov, are the best Moldovan athletes of 2008. The Executive board of the Athletics Federation of Moldova has approved the decision of the Federation's Coaches' Council.
The best international performance of both athletes was made during their participation in the Olympic Games in Beijing. Ion Luchianov, 27, for the first time in the history of the Moldovan athletics participated in the Olympics final in the Steeplechase and finished on 12th position ( in Athens 2004 he obtained 20th place with NR). In the heats Luchianov improved his own national record by almost 5 seconds – now – 8:18.97 (previous one 8:23.83 was established last August during World Universiade in Bangkok).
Ion Luchianov was named the best Moldovan Athlete for the 4th time (previously in 2004, 2005, 2007).
Olga Cristea who will be 21 only on December 13, was named the best for the 5th time (previously in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007). In Beijing Olga Cristea reached the semifinals and twice improved her personal best to 2:00.12. Beijing is a lucky city for Olga: two years earlier Cistea won the gold medal on 800m during the 11th World Junior Championship which took place in this city, it was the first ever Moldovan gold at global athletics level.
Both of the laureates plan to participate in the IAAF World Championship next August in Berlin and dream of Olympic Games in London 2012 where they hope to evidently improve theirs results.
Mihail Cravtov, the coach of the laureates, naturally, won the coach's contest for the second year in row.
Serghei Donets for the IAAF