Tomescu-Dita Wins Women’s Marathon
Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania won the women’s marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games earlier today. The 38-year-old finished the course with a time of 26.44 minutes and ended up running alone for more than half the race!
“It was a great performance,” she told reporters. “At the world [half-marathon] championships in Canada, everybody said I could not run. But I showed today what I can do.”
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya won the silver medal while China’s Zhou Chunxiu earned bronze.
Worth noting is the fact that British marathon superstar, Paula Radcliffe, did compete and finish the race in 23rd place with a time of 2:32:38. It was a tough race for her - she had to stop to vomit at the midway mark and was forced to stop and stretch when she began suffering from leg problems. It was a brave effort considering she fractured her femur earlier this year and was told that she would probably be unable to attend the Games. It was her first loss.
“In my mind, I felt good,” she told CBC Sports. “But my legs didn’t have enough running behind them … I felt like I was just running on one leg. They told me when it [the stress fracture] was diagnosed that it would be impossible for me to be here,” she said, breaking out in tears (I started crying too on my couch as I watched her speak!). “I just wouldn’t believe that. I wanted to come and try it.”
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POSTED IN: Athletics, Beijing 2008
1 opinion for Tomescu-Dita Wins Women’s Marathon
Jo
Aug 19, 2008 at 4:21 am
Dita prooves that power lives in our heart and brain and the body is just a form of expression. Thank you Dita that you represents Romanians in full grandeur !
Doamne ajuta!
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