News
Fire destroys de Castellas home, medals
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
2003-01-25
Australian marathon great Rob de Castella sustained a total loss of his home, office and possessions when a raging firestorm consumed his house in Canberra.The Australian newspaper, The Age, reported that the two-time Commonwealth Games marathon champion was not hurt, and his family was safe. Their Akita dog, however, was still missing.
"Weve been looking all over Canberra," de Castella told The Age. De Castella and his family were not at home when the firestorm reached his house.
"We were down the coast with the boys having a swim and found out about five oclock that the fires were racing through," he said. "All of my memorabilia from the ten to 15 years of running, all of my medals [were gone]. [We] found a few charred remnants of medals and things but certainly all of the certificates and photos and press clippings have well and truly gone."
de Castella, 45, ran his career best time of 2:07:51 winning Boston in 1986. He won the world championships gold medal in Helsinki in 1983, the first time the championship was held. In the Big City marathons he won Fukuoka in 1981 (2:08:18) and Rotterdam in 1983 (2:08:37) and again in 1991 (2:09:42).
Olympic Games 1988 in Seoul - 1. Gelindo Bordin (ITA) 2:10:32 (on the very right), 2. Douglas Wakiihuri (KEN) 2:10:47 (hidden). 3. Ahmed Salah (DJI) 2:10:59 (Nr. 236), Rob de Castella (on the very left) became 8th, because of an injury, he started with a huge training handicap.
David Monti, Editor & Publisher, Race Results Weekly
david@raceresultsweekly.com
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