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Octavian
Belu
Real name: Octavian Bellu (B-e-l-l-u)
(his real name was announced
only after he was named Presidential Counselor, in 2006; he
said he don't mind when people call him just Belu)
 Nickname:
Belu
Date of Birth: Feb 17,
Place of Birth:Ploiesti
Hometown:Bucharest, ROM
Gender:Male
Height:
Weight:
 Marital
Status:Divorced
Children:one daughter, Iolanda (model)
Profession:National Coach
Start discipline:
Nat.team since: 1981
Club:Deva Schol of Gymnastics
Belu profile (FIG data):
Octavian Belu has been the
coach of the Romanian Women's Team since the defection of
Bela Karolyi for political reason in 1981.
Belu took over a program that most experts considered would
falter after the loss of Karolyi, and not only continued its
outstanding success, but improved upon it. As a result he
has become the most successful gymnastics coach in the world
(15 Olympics Gold Medals), training the numerous world champions
and leading the prestigious Romanian team to victory. His
dedication and commitment to excellence have ment the key
to success for Romanian gymnastics.
Belu started out in gymnastics as an athlete. He also payed
volleyball and basketball and took up diving. A mediocre gymnast
by his own admission, he was all the more driven to study
the technical aspects of the sport, methodology and training.
In 1974, he graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education
and Sports Institue in Bucharest. He worked for a time as
a teacher of Physical Education at Valea Clugareasca before
returning in Ploiesti where he began coaching gymnastics.
Hi was married to Camelia, who is a nurse and has one daughter
Iolanda, born in 1978. Romanian press wrote about their undiclosed
divorce, back in 2000.
[romanian-gymnastics.com: Supposed to have a 12 years-long,
romantic (spreading flowers from airplane, on "her"
birthday included) affair with Mrs.Bitang-which is currently
separated from her husband]
Considering the champions he trained, Belu think that each
generation of gymnasts seems to have two champions:
Nadia Comaneci - Teodora Ungureanun;
Ecaterina Szabo - Lavinia Agache;
Daniela Silivas - Cristina Bontas;
Lavinia Milosovici - Gina Gogean - Simona Amanar.
In Athens in last August, Octavian
Belu was blissfully delighted when Catalina Ponor took
three times the gold medal and overall, when he drove the
women’s team to a new victory. (By Philippe Silacci-FIG)
Romanian Gymnastics News Archive.
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