Maria Cioncan, the Romanian runner who took 1500m bronze behind Kelly Holmes at the 2004 Olympics, has been killed in a car accident in Bulgaria.
Cioncan was returning from a training camp in Greece when the car she was driving crashed into a tree, said her coach Stefan Beregszaszy.
Cioncan’s friend and fellow Olympic medallist Gabriela Szabo said: “We have lost an extraordinary girl.”
Cioncan came close to winning the 1500m in Athens but was edged out by Holmes.