Posted: February 3, 2006

Athletics: Iagar To Bid Adieu In Bucharest On Sunday

By Bob Ramsak
© 2006 TRACK PROFILE Report, all rights reserved

Monica Iagar of Romania, a former European champion in the high jump both outdoors and indoors, will formally retire from the sport at a farewell meeting in Bucharest on Sunday.

The 32-year-old achieved her finest success in 1998 when she claimed both the indoor and outdoor European titles before capping her season with a win at the World Cup. Her outdoor best, 2.02 [6-7 1/2], was also set in 1998, while the following year she cleared 2.03 [6-8] indoors. She is only one of nine women to scale that height in indoor competition.

Organizers of Sunday's event in the Romanian capital, dubbed The Monica Iagar Grand Prix, have gathered a formidable start list. The men's field includes Italy's twin brothers Nicola and Giulio Ciotti and Tora Harris of the U.S., each of which have cleared 2.30 [7-6 1/2] or better this season. The women's field includes Oana Pantelimon of Romania, the 2000 Olympic silver medallist, along with two-meter jumpers Dora Gyorffy of Hungary, Russian Viktoria Seryogina, and Iryna Kovalenko of Ukraine, the reigning world junior champion.

Former stars expected to be on hand to pay tribute include former world champion and current International Olympic Committee member Frankie Fredericks of Namibia and Sarka Kasparkova, a former world champion in the triple jump. Iagar, who is busy with her teaching duties at a police academy, is not expected to compete.

A two-time finalist at the World Indoor Championships, Iagar also reached the final at the 2001 World Championships and more recently, the Olympic final in 2004.

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