Violeta Beclea-Szekely
- Born
- Mar 26, 1965 (61 years old)
- Birthplace
- Dolheștii Mari, Romania
- Events
- 1500 m · 800 Metres Short Track
- Height
- 1.69 m
Violeta Szekely, née Violeta Beclea, (born 26 March 1965, in Dolheștii Mari, Suceava County) is a Romanian former middle distance runner who competed mainly in the 1500 metres. She competed in two Olympic Games, in 1992 and 2000. She was favored to win the 2000 Summer Olympics 1500 metres after a stellar season, but getting boxed in around the final curb would cost her the gold medal.
She only got out about 80 metres from the end and while she made up considerable ground was unable to catch the ground lost while trapped inside to surprise winner Nouria Merah-Benida. She was also favored to win the 2001 World 1500 metre title after dominating the Golden League series, but was beaten out by bitter rival and teammate Gabriela Szabo.
She did however win a share of the golden league jackspot, by winning all of her Golden league 1500 metre races this season. Szekely retired after the 2002 season.
As of Oct 31, 2026: 1500 m 3:58.29 (#90 all-time), 800 Metres Short Track 1:59.30, 2002 season best 4:05.53 (Jul 2, 2002, Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne (SUI)) · Last competition: Roma Golden Gala, Jul 12, 2002, 4:08.69 · Olympic Games: 1 silver · World Championships: 1 silver · 61 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| World Championships | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Total | – | 2 | – | 2 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1500m | 4:05.53 | – | Jul 2, 2002 | Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne (SUI) |
| 2001 | 1500m | 3:59.35 | – | Jul 20, 2001 | Monte Carlo Herculis |
| 2001 | 1500m-short-track | 4:03.61 | – | Feb 15, 2001 | – |
| 2001 | 1500m-short-track Indoor | 4:03.61 | – | Feb 15, 2001 | Stockholm (SWE) (i) |
| 2001 | Mile | 4:38.03 | – | Sep 6, 2001 | Goodwill Games, Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, Nathan, Brisbane |
| 2001 | 3000m-short-track Indoor | 8:46.39 | – | Feb 18, 2001 | Birmingham (GBR) (i) |
| 2001 | 3000m-short-track | 8:46.39 | – | Feb 18, 2001 | – |
| 2001 | 3000m Indoor | 8:46.39 | – | Feb 18, 2001 | Birmingham (GBR) (i) |