Roxana Mărăcineanu

Roxana Mărăcineanu (Romanian pronunciation: [rokˈsana mərət͡ʃiˈne̯anu]; born 7 May 1975) is a Romanian-born French former backstroke swimmer who has been the Minister of Youth and Sports of France since 4 September 2018. She won the silver medal in the 200 m backstroke at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and is the first French world swimming champion (1998).

Roxana Mărăcineanu
Mărăcineanu in April 2019
Minister of Sports
Assumed office
4 September 2018
Prime MinisterÉdouard Philippe
Preceded byLaura Flessel
Personal details
Born (1975-05-07) 7 May 1975
Bucharest, Romania
Spouse(s)Franck Ballanger
Children3
Roxana Mărăcineanu
Personal information
Full nameRoxana Mărăcineanu
Born (1975-05-07) 7 May 1975
Bucharest, Romania
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke
ClubMulhouse Olympic Nautique
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  France
Olympic Games
Sydney 2000 200 m backstroke
World Championships (LC)
1998 Perth 200 m backstroke
European Championships (LC)
1999 Istanbul 200 m backstroke
1997 Seville 100 m backstroke
1997 Seville 200 m backstroke
1999 Istanbul 100 m backstroke

Mărăcineanu was named Minister of Sports by Emmanuel Macron in the Philippe Government on 4 September 2018.[1]

Family and childhood

Born in Bucharest, Romania, she practiced gymnastics as a child. Her father, thanks to a contract of cooperant, went to work in Algeria, taking his family. They then joined France in 1984 where they asked for asylum to flee the Ceauşescu regime.[2] It was in Blois, in a transit center, that she learned French, then she went to secondary school at Jean Macé College in Mulhouse.[3] She was naturalized French in 1991 at the age of 16 years.

She graduated from ESCP Europe in 2005 and has a master's degree in English and German.

Sporting career

Representing the Mulhouse Olympic Swimming, whose coach is Lionel Horter, she won her first French championship title in 100 meters and 200 meters in 1991 at the summer championships.

In Seville, at the 1997 European Championships, she was beaten by Germany's Antje Buschschulte in the 100 meters back and third in the 200-meter backstroke, behind Germany's Cathleen Rund and Antje Buschschulte.[4]

At the 1998 Worlds Championships in Perth, she began her competition with a sixth place finish in the 100m backstroke, won by Lea Maurer. Before the 200-meter final, her coach Lionel Horter assures her that if she leads the 150-meter race, she will win the race. First in front of Germany's Dagmar Hase, she becomes the first French world swimming champion.[5]

In October 2004, she announced her sporting career ended two months after Laure Manaudou's 400m triumph at the Athens Olympics.[6] The 1998 world champion clearly inspired the new star of French swimming: she had sent a letter to her idol as a child.[7]

Sports consultant and other activities

Consultant

In March 2007, at the World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, she is a consultant for France Télévisions alongside Alexandre Boyon and Michel Rousseau, and for L'Équipe TV. Since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, she has been a consultant again on the public group and on Europe 1. She renews this collaboration for the 2009 World Championships in Rome, the 2010 World Short Course Championships in Dubai, the 2010 European Championships in Budapest, at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

At the 2014 European Championships, Frédérick Bousquet, injured, is a consultant to Roxana Maracineanu, Alexandre Boyon and Nelson Monfort. For the next major competition, at the 2015 Kazan World Championships, the France Télévisions group, wishing to reform the duo Philippe Lucas and Laure Manaudou, does not renew the contract of Maracineanu.

In 2009, she received the Sports Commentator Award, awarded by the Association of sports writers. It rewards "a journalist, professional, audiovisual commentator, with the appreciated knowledge and the judgment which, in its interventions on the sport, will be expressed with the constant concern to respect the rules of the French language".[8]

Candidate at the FFN

With the resignation of Lionel Horter, resigned from the for the position of National Technical Director, the French Swimming Federation makes a call for applications to which it responds. In 2015, she is, with Jacques Favre and Philippe Hellard, among the last three candidates of a list established by the Ministry of Sports. The post is finally awarded to Jacques Favre.[9]

Volunteering

She takes part in the program "Eat well, it's well played!" launched in 2005 by the Sports Foundation. She is also involved in the production of videos aimed at young athletes to teach them the basics of a diet adapted to physical effort, as part of a program of the Sports Foundation sensitizing children to the importance of the sport. physical activity.

Political career

Regional Councilor

Candidate on the list of the Socialist Party, she was elected to the regional council of Île-de-France on 21 March 2010 and joined the sports and leisure commission. Its mandate ends with the renewal of the Regional Council on 13 December 2015.[10]

Minister of Sports

Following numerous drownings of children, Édouard Philippe, Prime Minister, asked her in July 2018 to accompany an interministerial mission (National Education and Sports) charged with thinking of ways to significantly improve the results of the training in swimming in France in primary schools.[11]

On 4 September 2018 Roxana Maracineanu was appointed Minister of Sports in the Philippe Government, replacing Laura Flessel.[12]

Awards
  • National Order of Merit (France)
  • Legion of Honour (France)
  • Sports Commentator Award 2009

References
  1. "L'ancienne nageuse Roxana Maracineanu nommée ministre des Sports". L'Équipe. 4 September 2018.
  2. Pierre Godon (4 September 2018). "Remaniement : sept choses que vous ignorez peut-être sur Roxana Maracineanu, la nouvelle ministre des Sports" (in French). France Info. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  3. Claude Hessege (19 January 1998). "ROXANA MARACINEANU: "CE DOIT ÊTRE ÇA LE BONHEUR"" (in French). L'Humanité. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  4. "NATATION: UNE FRANÇAISE EN ARGENT À SÉVILLE" (in French). L'Humanité. 22 August 1997. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  5. "Top 100: Zizou, Liza, Jaja, Roxana..." (in French). Eurosport. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  6. "Roxana Maracineanu met fin à sa carrière" (in French). L'Obs. 18 October 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  7. "Roxana Maracineanu, engagée et bouillonnante" (in French). Libération. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  8. "Prix du commentateur sportif". Association of sports writers (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  9. Thierry Tazé-Bernard (13 February 2015). "Jacques Favre nouveau DTN de la natation française" (in French). sport.francetvinfo.fr. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  10. Myriam Chauvot (4 September 2018). "Roxana Maracineanu, une ex-nageuse déjà entrée en politique" (in French). Les Échos. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  11. "E. Philippe: renforcement du plan de lutte contre les noyades" (in French). Le Figaro. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  12. "Remaniement : Roxana Maracineanu remplace Laura Flessel" (in French). France Info. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
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