EXCLUSIVE Romanian who coached Robin Williams for Ironman: He was Peter Pan!

The death of American actor Robin Williams saddened the world, and in Sibiu (central Romania) brought tears in the eyes of Adrian Ginju, a former national champion swimmer and trainer, who said he 'lost a friend.'

One of the few Romanians praised in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, Ginju, a former member of Olympic Team Romania met Williams seven years ago, as the actor was preparing to participate in the famous Ironman triathlon, a race involving advanced skills in swimming, riding a bicycle, and running a marathon.

Ginju met Williams in the restaurant of his friend, Romanian Nelu Balan, on Madison Avenue of New York; the place is famous worldwide and attracts Hollywood stars. That's where the actor told him he wants to participate in a triathlon, where he had to swim one mile, race on a bicycle, then run. He knew how to manage the last two, but not how to resist swimming one whole mile, Ginju told AGERPRES on Thursday.

The swimming trainer practically coached Robin Williams for the role of an amateur athlete at Ironman. Four lessons with the former swimming champion of Romania were enough for Williams to face the triathlon race — and beyond it, to create a friendship bond lasting after his death.

'Robin knew how to swim; what he wanted was to finish the race, not win it. When he thanked me, he told me something that made me think: 'You have an extraordinary talent, but that's not enough. You have to pass it further. You know what the secret is? If you do something good for a fellow human once, without expecting any reward, you will feel so serene about doing something. I promise you it will be good,' Ginju remembered with visible emotion.

'He had an extraordinary musical ear; he could...