| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
| Olympic Games | ||||
| 1 | Marathon | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 2:26:44 |
| 20 | Marathon | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 2:37:31 |
| World Championships | ||||
| 3 | Marathon | 2005 | Helsinki, FIN | 2:23:19 |
| Chicago Marathon | ||||
| 4 | Marathon | 2008 | Chicago, IL, USA | 2:30:57 |
Nickname
Pusha. (worldmarathonmajors.com, 25 Apr 2010)
Education
Physical Education - Bucharest Sports Academy, Bucharest, ROU
Family
Son Rafael, born 1995.
Language(s) spoken
English
Club name
CS Dinamo Bucuresti, Bucharest, ROU
Coach
Valeriu Tomescu [ex-husband] (ROU) (constantinadita.com, 01 Mar 2011)
Other sports
Her husband Valeriu has been head track and field coach for Romania. (runningtimes.com, 23 Apr 2008)
Injuries
She missed the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan after suffering tendinitis in her right knee. (runningtimes.com, 22 Aug 2007)
Additional information
Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (worldmarathonmajors.com, 25 Apr 2010)
Sporting philosophy / motto
Despite having a reputation for an aggressive running style that sees her gain time over her opponents early in a race, she insists that although she has a preference for leading her strategy is simply to run her own race. "I don't care what the other girls are doing," she said. "I'm looking at my speed, every mile, every 5km." (Running Times Magazine, November 2005)
Awards
In winning the marathon at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, she became the oldest person to win that event in Olympic history. (worldmarathonsmajors.com, 25 Apr 2010)
In January 2009, she was awarded the "Premiul National Pentru Sport," her nations most prestigious sports honour. (worldmarathonsmajors.com, 25 Apr 2010)
General
HEAT STROKE
She was forced to stop after 30km of the marathon at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece after suffering heat stroke. She considered dropping out of the race but walked for a mile before continuing and eventually made it to the finish in 20th place. "I wanted to drop out," she said. "But all the time I was thinking in my head, 'It's the Olympic Games. First time at the Olympic Games and maybe the only time at the Olympic Games'. It was a good decision to finish." (Running Times Magazine, November 2005)
EARLY DAYS
She was raised on a farm in the village of Turburea in south-west Romania. Her family grew vegetables for the local market and kept a small herd of cows that she milked daily. (Running Times Magazine, November 2005)
Previous Olympics
Beijing 2008, Athens 2004
