“Six Nations, with 48 runners (22 women and 25 men), was present at the 7th ABAF (Balkan) Mountain Running Championships 2015 held this year at Busteni, Romania.
Five Federations won medals.
Romanian Team triumphed winning ten medals in total: 7 gold medals (all the individuals and 3 in the team result) plus 1 silver and 2 bronze,, Turkey won five medlas: 1 gold medal, 3 silver and 1 bronze, five medals also for Bulgaria with 2 silver and 3 bronze, instead Moldova kept two medals (2 silver) and Croatia one medal (1 bronze). FYR of Macedonia, the sixth Nation present, didn”t won any medal.
Good organisation was guarenteed to this important ABAF event by FRA that in the future could host also events, under WMRA or EAA regulations: Ion Sandu, FRA new President, want to promote mountain running inside his Country and also improve organisation of the competition. Specially for mountain running in Romania there are wonderful venue where top class hotel are working and many facilities are available for organising international mountain running Championships: a few years ago WMRA President Bruno Gozzelino visited Romania togehter some Romanian Officials like Traian Badea, FRA Vice President, and he confirm this situation.
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“Coming back to- the 7. ABAF Mountain Running Championships 2015, Romanian runners won indivdually all the four races.
In the junior women&nbsp, race, Andreea Alina Piscu (Romania) clocked 25:15 for winning in front of Atalay Bahar (Turkey) second with time of 25:34 and Dilyana Minkina (Bulgaria) third with time of 26:28.
Romania won gold medal in team junior women result with 10 points, silver medal for Turkey with 15 points.
In the junior men race, Gergely Bogya (Romania – time 43:44) was the Balkan Champion 2015, and two Turkish, Yalcin Tekin (time 44:11) and Celik Osman (44:28) finished second and third.
In the junior men team result Turkey kept gold medal with 11 points, defeating Romania silver medallist with 12 points, third and bronze medal Bulgaria with 25 points. Croatia finished foourth with 35 points.
Romanian Denisa Ionela Dragomir dominated senior women race finished her race with time of 48:01.40. All remember that Dragomir was two time European Junior Champion in mountain running (2010 and 2011) and also bronze medallist in the WMRA World Mountain Running Championships 2011.
Silver medallist was Antoniya Marinova, Bulgaria, with time of 49:30 and bronze medallist was Cristiana Alexandra Ghita Romania with time of 49:49.
Romania won gold medal in team senior women result with 9 points, silver medal for Bulgaria with 13 points and bronze medal for Croatia with 30 points.
At the end in the senior men race Romanian Ionut Alin Zinca became Balkan Mountain Running Champion 2015 run the track with time of 1:01:18.30. Nobody was able to compete with him, who was third at the European Mountain Running Championships 2012.
The gap of the second finisher was more then three minutes, but the greatest surprise was just Vitalie Ghoerghita from Moldova who won silver medal with time of 1:04:43.90: is it probably the first internatinal medal for Moldova&nbsp, in mountain running.
Third was Szabolcs Istvan Gyorgy again from Romania who finished about five minutes later the winner (exactly time was 1:06:12.40).
Once more, Romania won gold medal in team senior men result with 10 points, silver medal for Moldova with 11 points and bronze medal for Bulgaria with 26 points.

Edited from Bruno Gozzelino (WMRA)

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&nbsp,Source of the pictures Cristian Barbu
&nbsp, on front page:
&nbsp, – nations at opening ceremony,
&nbsp, on second page:
&nbsp, – individual senior women podium,
&nbsp, – team senior women podium,
&nbsp, – individual senior men podium.

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