Constantina Diță

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 was named the BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year in 2008.^[2]

Constantina Diță

Constantina Diță in 2012
Personal information
Nationality	Romania
Born	(1970-01-23) January 23, 1970 (age 55) Turburea, Romania
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight	48 kg (106 lb)
Sport
Sport	Long-distance running
Club	CS Pandurii Tg. Jiu
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Romania Olympic Games 2008 Beijing Marathon World Championships 2005 Helsinki Marathon World Half Marathon Championships 2005 Edmonton Individual 2005 Edmonton Team 1998 Zürich Team 2004 Delhi Team 2006 Debrecen (20km) Individual 2003 Vilamoura Team 2004 Delhi Individual World Marathon Majors 2004 Chicago Marathon 2003 Chicago Marathon 2005 London Marathon 2005 Chicago Marathon 2004 London Marathon 2007 London Marathon

Diță 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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5][6][7]

Diță ran a marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics and finished in 86th place.^[8]

Personal bests

• 5000 metres – 15:28.91 min (2000)
• 10,000 metres – 31:49.47 min (2006)
• Half marathon – 1:08:07 hrs (2006)
• Marathon – 2:21:30 hrs (2005)

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

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2001	Tokyo Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	4th	Marathon	2:26:39
2004	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	1st	Marathon	2:21:30 PB
2007	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	3rd	Marathon	2:23.55

Awards

• Romanian sportsperson of the year: 2008
• BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year: 2008^[9]
• AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award: 2008
• National Sports Award: 2009