Pavlina Evro, a legend of athletics, celebrates her 60th birthday!

Pavlina Evro was born in Korçë in 1965, in a large family with seven children. Although her father was a painter, Pavlina did not become an artist but an athlete. However, in a way, she managed to turn sports into art.

It was coach Pirro Kasati who discovered her talent in a cross-country race at the 8-year school where Pavlina studied, where she came first. Although she was passionate about basketball, coach Kasati and her school teachers encouraged the 13-year-old girl to train in athletics. Thus, Pavlina Evro became part of the “Skënderbeu” team in Korçë. She began a passionate and exhausting training regimen, which proved fruitful for the young and talented girl, who during the 1980s became the absolute national champion in the 800, 1500, and 3000-meter events.

But Pavlina Evro quickly began to achieve international success as well. Her first competition abroad was at the Balkan Cross in 1981, where, at only 16 years old, she finished in fifth place. In 1983, Pavlina Evro broke the national record in the 800-meter race, previously set by another distinguished athlete, Marinda Preka, while at the European Youth Championship in Austria, Evro not only set another national record in the 1500-meter race but also won a silver medal. For this, she received the title “Meritorious Sports Master” at the age of 18.

The following year would be the peak of the career of this great Albanian athlete. At the “Grand Prix” athletics meeting in Nice, France, Pavlina Evro came in first place with a time of 4’06″64, breaking the national record again and winning the gold medal, the first for Albanian athletics in such an important international competition. Pavlina Evro was named one of the top three athletes of the tournament, alongside world champions and some of the greatest athletes in the world at the time, Kingdom and Vinjero. The Albanian athlete was also honored as an “Honorary Citizen” of Nice.

Also in 1984, at the National Spartakiad, Pavlina Evro broke another national record, this time in the 3000-meter race.

In 1985, Pavlina Evro won the international tournament in Algeria in the 800-meter race. The following year would bring another highlight to the career of the distinguished athlete from Korça. At the athletics meeting in Oslo, Norway, in the 1500-meter race, Evro had among her competitors Doina Melinten from Romania, who two years earlier had won the silver medal in the 1500 meters and the gold in the 800 meters at the Los Angeles Olympics. During the race, the Albanian athlete was unfairly obstructed and fell to the ground. But with an extraordinary force of will, encouraged by the cheers of the spectators in the stadium who shouted her name and that of Albania, Pavlina Evro not only got up and finished the race despite being injured but also managed to climb onto the podium, winning the bronze medal and setting a new national record of 4’06″41, a record that would not be broken until 28 years later, by Luiza Gega.

In 1987, Pavlina Evro won the gold medal at the Athens athletics meeting in the 3000 meters, and later that year, she won the bronze medal at the Mediterranean Games in Latakia, Syria, again in the event where she had the most success, the 1500 meters.

And so, Pavlina Evro’s successes continued both domestically and internationally, until 1991 when she joined the Greek Championship with “Iraklis” of Thessaloniki, where she became the Greek champion in 1992, winning in the 800 and 1500 meters and in the 4×400 meter relay. Evro also set a record in Greece in a new event for her, the 5000 meters.

Pavlina Evro ended her stellar sports career in 1995, with the only regret of not participating in the Olympics. Afterward, she worked as a lecturer and coach in several Greek clubs, including the well-known “Panelinio” of Thessaloniki. Later, she also served as Consul of Albania in Thessaloniki. However, despite her involvement in diplomacy, the “goddess” of athletics has not forgotten her lifelong love—sports. She is now involved in organizing events aimed at revitalizing Albanian athletics and helping Albanian sports reach greater heights.

For her achievements, Pavlina Evro has been honored with numerous titles and medals, such as “Great Master of Labor” by the President of the Republic in 2012, “Honor of Albanian Sport,” “Honorary Citizen of the Korça District,” “Honorary Citizen of Korça Municipality,” and more, in addition to the title “Honorary Citizen of Nice” earned more than 30 years ago, when she took Albanian athletics to the highest peaks.

CREATED by:

“KORÇA BOOM”