Natalia Mărăşescu is a retired 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...

n middle distance runner who specialized mainly in the 1500 metres

1500 metres

The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...

.

Mărăşescu set two world records over the mile; 4:23.8 minutes on 21 May 1977 in Bucharest, and 4:22.09 minutes on January 27, 1979 in Auckland. The record was broken by Mary Slaney won ran in 4:21.68 minutes a year later in the same city. The current record is 4:12.56. http://www.apulanta.fi/matti/yu/wrprogr_Women.html She briefly held the record in 5000 metres

5000 metres

The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...

, with 15:41.4 minutes. This record lasted less than four months before broken by Jan Merrill

Jan Merrill

Janice Melbourne Merrill is a retired female middle distance runner from the United States. She was the dominant long distance runner of the middle 1970's, a notable front runner, her uniform with the large "M" on her chest would usually break away to an insurmountable lead in domestic meets...

. http://user.uni-frankfurt.de/~khg/Rekorde/progtkww.htm

Achievements

Year	Tournament	Venue	Result	Event
1975	European Indoor Championships 1975 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 6th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in 1975 in Katowice, a large city in Poland.-Track:-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...	Katowice Katowice Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...	1st	1500 m
1976	European Indoor Championships 1976 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 7th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Munich, a city in West Germany, in February 1976.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...	Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... , West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....	2nd	1500 m
1977	Universiade 1977 Summer Universiade The 1977 Summer Universiade, also known as the IX Summer Universiade, took place in Sofia, Bulgaria.-Medal table:...	Sofia Sofia Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated... , Bulgaria Bulgaria Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...	2nd	1500 m
1978	European Indoor Championships 1978 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 9th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at Palasport di San Siro in Milan, a city in Italy, in 1978. It was the first time the championships was held in Italy.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com...	Milan Milan Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...	2nd	1500 m
	European Championships 1978 European Championships in Athletics The 12th European Athletics Championships were held from 29 August to 3 September 1978 in Prague, the capital city of Czechoslovakia.-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Field:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...	Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... , Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...	2nd	1500 m
	European Championships 1978 European Championships in Athletics The 12th European Athletics Championships were held from 29 August to 3 September 1978 in Prague, the capital city of Czechoslovakia.-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Field:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...	Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... , Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...	2nd	3000 m
1979	European Indoor Championships 1979 European Indoor Championships in Athletics The 10th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Vienna, the capital city in Austria, in 1979. It was the second time the championships had been held in Vienna.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com...	Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...	1st	1500 m
	Universiade 1979 Summer Universiade The 1979 Summer Universiade, also known as the X Summer Universiade, took place in Mexico City, Mexico.-Medal table:...	Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...	1st	1500 m