Constantina Dita

Age: 37
Favorite pre-race meal: Tiramisu
Birthday : 23 January 1970
Height: 5ft 3 / 160cm

Constantina Diţă put the crown on her career with a decisive victory in the women's Olympic marathon in Beijing 2008. Then aged 38, the Romanian athlete, who has been sponsored by ASICS for seven years, is the oldest Olympic marathon winner in history.

Pocket rocket

As the Romanian national road record holder for the 5K, 10K, 15K, Half Marathon and the Marathon, the petite Diţă (1,60m/48kg) is one of the most successful Romanian athletes of all time. Diţă managed to turn her childhood admiration for the Romanian athlete Maricica Puică into a career, and finally into an ambition to compete and win gold at Olympic level.

She started her sports career as a handball player, discovering her natural calling for running in her late twenties. Her most triumphant successes soon followed, however – even though she was already well past 30.

Just one week after placing third at the 2004 IAAF World Championships Half Marathon, and although sick with a cold, Diţă overcame a strong field to win the 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2:23:45. From here, she seemed to go from strength to strength.

In 2005, Diţă set new personal and Romanian marathon records in London and Chicago. In April of that year, she blasted through the Flora London Marathon to finish second in 2:22:50, a world best for women 35 and older. She then followed up with one of her greatest victories at the IAAF World Championships Half Marathon, running 1:09:17.

The juggling act

The mother of Rafael, born in 1995, Diţă had always been juggling her running career with parenthood. Early in 2006, however, this remarkable feat extended to include finalising a degree back in Romania. Somewhat out of her ideal training The mother of Rafael, born in 1995, Diţă had always been juggling her running career with parenthood. Early in 2006, however, this remarkable feat extended to include finalising a degree back in Romania. Somewhat out of her ideal training regime, she then finished seventh at the Flora London Marathon in 2:27:51, below the high standard she had set for herself.

After receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Sports and Physical Education from the Bucharest Sports Academy, it was time for another career push. And this time, there was nothing to stop her. Trained by her coach and former husband, Valentiu Tomescu, she took third at the 2006 New York City Half Marathon in an impressive 1:10:11.

Just two months later, she then challenged Lornah Kiplagat in the IAAF World Road Running Championship 20K. Both women broke the world record for the distance, but Diţă came in just two seconds behind the Kenyan-born Dutchwoman with a remarkable finishing time of 1:03:23.

Against all odds

The absolute highlight of her career came at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games marathon. After running with the lead group through what she described as ‘a very slow first half’, she broke away at around 1:15:00 and no one seemed to take the bait. Diţă continued to up the pace and went on to claim the Olympic gold in 2 hours, 26 minutes and 44 seconds.

At the age of 38, her surprising victory broke another couple of records in the process: she is not just the oldest Olympic marathon champion ever, male or female, but the oldest Olympic marathon medallist. Following this success, Diţă has been showered with honours and decorations from both sports bodies and the Romanian government. So, time to retire? Hardly. Next stop: London, April 26th.