Ionela Târlea is a former athlete, competing internationally for Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

. She won the silver medal

Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

 in the 400 m hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 400 metres Hurdles

The women's 400 metres hurdles was one of 23 track events of the athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens, Greece. It was contested at the Athens Olympic Stadium, from August 21 to August 25, by a total of 34 athletes from 25 nations....

. At the same Games in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, Greece, Târlea helped the Romanian national team to sixth place in the 4 x 400 m relay

Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 4 x 400 metres relay

The women's 4×400 metres relay was one of 23 track events of the athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens. It was contested at the Athens Olympic Stadium, from August 27 to August 28, by a total of sixteen national teams comprising 64 athletes....

.

She compelled recognition in top international competitions as early as 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

, when she came 7th in the 400 ms hurdles event. In 1999 at the World Indoor Athletics Championships held in the Japanese city of Maebashi she reaped gold

Gold medal

A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 in the 200 m

200 metres

A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...

 race.

In 2000 in Sydney, Australia

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

, Târlea earned her place again in the finals of the 400 m hurdles event, and came 6th. In 2002 she reaped gold at the European Championships held in Munich, also in the 400 m hurdles, actually her favourite event. A rather uneventful period came for Târlea. It was only in early 2008 that she secured her comeback among the world's top athletes as she came 3rd in the 400 m

400 metres

The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...

 event held in Stuttgart

Stuttgart

Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....

's Sparkassen Cup

Sparkassen Cup (athletics)

The Sparkassen Cup is an annual indoor track and field competition which takes place in February in Stuttgart, Germany. The meeting was first held at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in 1987 and is currently an IAAF Indoor Permit Meeting....

. She retired in April 2009, due to long-term injuries.

At club level Târlea competed for Dinamo Bucharest

CS Dinamo Bucureşti

CS Dinamo București is a Romanian sports society from București, Romania, founded in 1948.*football Title , Cups, Supercup *basketball Title , Cups...

, Fenerbahçe Istanbul

Fenerbahçe Athletics

Fenerbahçe Athletics is the men's and women's athletics section of Fenerbahçe S.K., a major sports club in Istanbul, Turkey.Fenerbahçe Athletics use Dereağzı Facilities.-Technical staff:-Men's squad:* Oğuz Akça* Halil Akkaş* Caner Alagöz...

 and Sporting Portugal athletics.

Achievements

1992	World Junior Championships 1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics was the fourth edition of the international athletics competition for athletes aged 19 years or under. It was held in Seoul, South Korea from September 16 to September 20, 1992.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:...	South Korea Seoul, South Korea	1st	4 x 400 m relay
1993	European Junior Championships European Athletics Junior Championships The European Athletics Junior Championships are the European championships open for those of age. The IAAF defines Junior as athletes who are 19 years of age or under. It is currently organized by the European Athletic Association....	Spain San Sebastián, Spain	1st	400 m hurdles
1994	World Junior Championships 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics was held in Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-References:* at GBRathletics.com* from World Junior Athletics History...	Portugal Lisbon, Portugal	1st	400 m hurdles
	World Junior Championships 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics was held in Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-References:* at GBRathletics.com* from World Junior Athletics History...	Portugal Lisbon, Portugal	2nd	4 x 400 m relay
1995	European Junior Championships 1995 European Athletics Junior Championships The 1995 European Athletics Junior Championships was held in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary.-Men's results:-Women's results:-Medal table:-References:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...	Hungary Nyíregyháza Nyíregyháza - Tourist sights :Nyíregyháza also has several museums and exhibitions, showing the city's rich cultural heritage.* Collection of the International Medallion Art and Small Sculpture Creative Community of Nyíregyháza-Sóstó – periodic exhibitions of works of contemporary artists-Twin towns — Sister... , Hungary	1st	400 m hurdles
	World University Games 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...	Japan Fukuoka Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by... , Japan	2nd	400 m hurdles
1996	Summer Olympics Games Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 44 events in athletics were contested, 24 by men and 20 by women. There were a total number of 2053 participating athletes from 191 countries.-Men:...	United States Atlanta, United States	7th	400 m hurdles
1997	World Indoor Championships 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 6th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France from March 7 to March 9, 1997. It was the first athletic championships to introduce women's pole vault...	Early Modern France Paris, France	4th	400 m
1998	World Cup	South Africa Johannesburg, South Africa	4th	400 m hurdles
	European Championships	Hungary Budapest, Hungary	1st	400 m hurdles
	European Indoor Championships	Spain Valencia, Spain	2nd	400 m
1999	World Indoor Championships 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 7th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the Green Dome Maebashi stadium in Maebashi, Japan from March 5 to March 7, 1999. It was the first time the Championships were staged outside Europe or North America. Primo Nebiolo, president of the IAAF, characterized the...	Japan Maebashi Maebashi, Gunma is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1892, by the samurai Makuba Kawai.On December 5, 2004 the town of Ōgo, and the villages of Kasukawa and Miyagi, all from Seta District, were merged into Maebashi.... , Japan	1st	200 m
	World University Games 1999 Summer Universiade The 1999 Summer Universiade, also known as the XX Summer Universiade, took place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.-Medal table:-Sports at the 1999 Summer Universiade:* Athletics* Basketball* Diving* Fencing* Football* Gymnastics* Judo* Sailing...	Spain Palma de Mallorca, Spain	1st	400 m
2000	Summer Olympics Games 2000 Summer Olympics The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...	Australia Sydney, Australia	6th	400 m hurdles
2001	World Championship 2001 World Championships in Athletics The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...	Canada Edmonton, Canada	6th	400 m hurdles 2001 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres hurdles These are the official results of the Women's 400 metres Hurdles event at the 2001 IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.-Medalists:-Heats:...
	Grand Prix Championships 2001 IAAF Grand Prix Final The 17th IAAF Grand Prix Final was held at the Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on September 9, 2001.- Men :- Women :- External links :*...	Australia Melbourne, Australia	6th	400 m hurdles
2002	European Championships	Germany Munich, Germany	1st	400 m hurdles
	World Cup 2002 IAAF World Cup The 9th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was hosted by Madrid, September 21–22, 2002, in the Estadio La Peineta...	Spain Madrid, Spain	4th	400 m hurdles
2003	World Athletics Final 2003 IAAF World Athletics Final The 1st IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Stade Louis II, in Monte Carlo, Monaco on 13 September and 14 September 2003.The hammer throw event for men and women had to take place in Szombathely, Hungary a week previous as the Monaco stadium was not large enough to hold the event.One of the...	Monaco Monte Carlo, Monaco	3rd	400 m hurdles
	World Championships 2003 World Championships in Athletics The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...	Early Modern France Paris, France	4th	400 m hurdles 2003 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres hurdles These are the official results of the Men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 2003 IAAF World Championships in Paris, France. There were a total number of 29 participating athletes, with four qualifying heats, two semi-finals and the final held on Thursday 2003-08-28 at...
2004	Summer Olympics Games Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put...	Greece Athens, Greece	2nd	400 m hurdles
	World Indoor Championships 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Budapest Arena, Hungary between March 5 and March 7, 2004...	Hungary Budapest, Hungary	3rd	4 x 400 m relay 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 4 x 400 metres relay The Women's 4x400 metres relay event at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships was held on March 7.-Medalists:* Runners who participated in the heats only and received medals.-Heats:...
	World Indoor Championships 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Budapest Arena, Hungary between March 5 and March 7, 2004...	Hungary Budapest, Hungary	4th	400 m 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 400 metres The Women's 400 metres event at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships was held on March 5–6.-Medalists:-Heat:First 2 of each heat and next 4 fastest qualified for the semifinals.-Semifinals:...
	World Athletics Final 2004 IAAF World Athletics Final The 2nd IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Stade Louis II, in Monte Carlo, Monaco on September 18, and September 19, 2004.The hammer throw event for men and women had to take place in Szombathely, Hungary a week previous as the Monaco stadium was not large enough to hold the event.One of...	Monaco Monte Carlo, Monaco	4th	400 m hurdles

External links

• Ionela Târlea competition records at IAAF
  International Association of Athletics Federations
  The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...
  
  Tirlea de argint!