Name : Belu Octavian
Date and place of birth : 17 February 1950 Ploiesti - Romania
Gender :Male
Marital Status :Divorced
Children :one daughter, Iolanda (model)
Profession :National Coach
Nat.team since : 1981
Club :Deva Schol of Gymnastics
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.
His 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.
Source:
Philippe Silacci - FIG
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