Background
Puicǎ was born in Iași, Romania and competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where she finished seventh in the 1500 m final.
athletics competitor middle-distance runner
Puicǎ was born in Iași, Romania and competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where she finished seventh in the 1500 m final.
In 1978, she had finished fourth in the 3000 m final at the European Championships. She also finished fourth in the 1500 m final.
A month later in September, she broke Mary Decker"s world mile record of 4:18.08 with 4:17.44 in Rieti. In July 1986, at the London Grand Prix, she broke Tatyana Kazankina"a world 2000 m record of 5:28.72, with a time of 5:28.69. She was also fifth in the 1500 m final.
1987 began with her winning a bronze medal in the 3000 m at the World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, finishing behind the Soviet pair of Tatyana Samolenko and Bondarenko.
Puica competed at her fourth and final Olympic Games in Seoul 1988, where she dropped out of her 3000 m heat with just 200 metres to go. In 1989, she spoke on Romanian television in support of the revolutionaries fighting against the regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu.