Cătălina Gheorghiu (born 21 June 1969) is a Romanian

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distanc ...

. She competed in the at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. Specializing in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

at a young age, she won the silver medals at both the 1987 European Athletics Championships and the 1988 World Junior Championships. She also competed individually at the 1987 World Championships without reaching the final, and was on the team that finished sixth in the

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track and field, track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap, totaling 1600 meters. It is traditionally the final event of ...

at the 1988 World Junior Championships. In 1989 she recorded lifetime bests of 2:00.02 minutes in the 800 metres and 4:06.94 minutes in the 1500 metres, both achieved in June and July in Bucureşti. Over the next years, she competed less on the highest international level, but finished sixth at the

1991 Summer Universiade __NOTOC__ The 1991 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XVI Summer Universiade and generally referred to as the World Student Games, were held in Sheffield, England from 14 to 25 July 1991. The Games were the largest sporting event to be ho ...

and also competed at the

1995 Summer Universiade The 1995 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVIII Summer Universiade, took place in Fukuoka, Japan. Emblem The symbol mark is a motif of "U", expressing passion and energy in the flickering flames of a burning torch. In the flames one sees bo ...

. Gheorghiu then returned to the world elite and finished fourth at the 1996 European Athletics Championships, reached the semi-final at the

and finished sixth at the 1997 World Indoor Championships. Domestically and regionally, Gheorghiu won the Romanian championships in the 800 metres (1995) and 3000 metres steeplechase (1991, 1992). She won the 1500 metres at the 1989 Balkan Championships as well as at the 1996 and 1997 Balkan Indoor Championships.

References

1969 births Living people Romanian female middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Romania World Athletics Championships athletes for Romania Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Romanian sportswomen {{Romania-athletics-bio-stub