Romanian long-distance runner
Constantina Diță
Constantina Diță in 2012
Nationality Romania Born (1970-01-23 ) January 23, 1970 (age 54) Turburea , Romania Height 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) Weight 48 kg (106 lb) Sport Long-distance running Club CS Pandurii Tg. Jiu
Constantina Diță (formerly Constantina Diță-Tomescu [ 1] born on January 23, 1970, in Turburea , Gorj County ), is a Romanian long-distance runner , who specializes mainly in the half marathon and marathon . She was the marathon gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics , having previously won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics . She also represented her country at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004.
She has a marathon best of 2:21:30 hours. She was the champion at the 2005 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships – the first Romanian to win that honour. She was the 2004 Chicago Marathon winner.
Career
As a child, Diță became interested in athletics and particularly admired Maricica Puică after seeing her win the 3000 metres gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics .[ 2] Diță had her first successes at the 1999 European Cross Country Championships at which she won silver medals in the individual race and the team race with Romania. She began competing in the marathon and was tenth at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics .[ 3] She ran in the Olympic marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens (finishing twentieth) and went on to win the Chicago Marathon later that year, running a personal best of 2:21:30.
After winning the marathon bronze at the 2005 World Championships she became the World Half Marathon Champion . She won a silver medal at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships and reached the podium of the 2007 London Marathon , taking third place.
Diță won the women's marathon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in 2 hours, 26 minutes and 44 seconds. At 38 years of age, she became the oldest Olympic marathon champion in history. Previously the oldest man to win an Olympic marathon was aged 37 and the oldest woman was aged 30. She lives and trains at altitude in Boulder, Colorado , and was married to her coach, Valeriu Tomescu, until they divorced in 2008.[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
She ran marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics and finished in 86th place.[ 7]
Personal bests
International competitions
Year
Competition
Venue
Position
Event
Notes
Representing Romania
1998
World Cross Country Championships
Marrakesh , Morocco
16th
Short race
European Championships
Budapest , Hungary
17th
Marathon
2:34:35
World Half Marathon Championships
Uster , Switzerland
29th
Half marathon
1999
World Cross Country Championships
Belfast , United Kingdom
14th
Long race
11th
Short race
World Championships
Seville , Spain
19th
Marathon
World Half Marathon Championships
Palermo , Italy
12th
Half marathon
European Cross Country Championships
Velenje , Slovenia
2nd
Senior race
2nd
Team race
2000
World Cross Country Championships
Vilamoura , Portugal
35th
Long race
22nd
Short race
2001
World Cross Country Championships
Ostend , Belgium
33rd
Long race
World Championships
Edmonton , Canada
10th
Marathon
2:30:38
World Half Marathon Championships
Bristol , United Kingdom
32nd
Half marathon
2002
European Championships
Munich , Germany
7th
10,000 m
World Half Marathon Championships
Brussels , Belgium
22nd
Half marathon
2003
World Championships
Paris , France
DNF
Marathon
World Half Marathon Championships
Vilamoura , Portugal
5th
Half marathon
2004
Summer Olympics
Athens , Greece
20th
Marathon
2:37:31
World Half Marathon Championships
New Delhi , India
3rd
Half marathon
2005
World Championships
Helsinki , Finland
3rd
Marathon
World Half Marathon Championships
Edmonton , Canada
1st
Half marathon
2006
European Championships
Gothenburg , Sweden
11th
10,000 m
31:49.47 PB
World Road Running Championships
Debrecen , Hungary
2nd
20 km
2008
Summer Olympics
Beijing, China
1st
Marathon
2:26:44 SB
2012
Summer Olympics
London , United Kingdom
86th
Marathon
2:41:34 SB
Marathons
Awards
References
External links