Ilie Popa

Competing for Steaua București, Ilie Popa was the top Romanian race walker of the 1960s. In distances between 10 and 50 km, he collected 16 national titles, including 6 individual ones. A four-time medallist at the Balkan Games, he won the 20 km event at the 1964 edition held in the Romanian capital. Later that year, he also raced at the Tokyo Olympics, where he finished in the back of the field. After his active career, Popa turned to coaching, remaining active well into his 70s.

Personal Best: 50kmW – 4-27:23 (1966).