Maria Mihalache

Maria Mihalache

Personal information
Born	(2003-05-11) 11 May 2003 (age 22)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Sprint
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	60m: 7.26 (Apeldoorn, 2025) 100m: 11.58 (Cluj, 2024) 200m: 23.67 (Tallinn, 2021)

Maria Mihalache (born 11 May 2003) is a Romanian sprinter and model. She is a multiple-time national champion over 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres. She won the 60m at the 2025 Balkan Athletics Indoor Championships. ^[1]

Early life

From Bucharest, she started training in athletics tat a young age when she would regularly beat her older brother in races and was taken to a local track. ^[2] She participated in endurance events, where she won several cross-country races, but was more passionate about sprint events and became leading Romanian sprinter at junior level. ^[3]

Career

She is a member of CS Olimpia-CS Rapid where she is coached by Mihăiță Băloi. She finished ninth overall at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in the 100 metres in Nairobi. ^[3]

She won her first senior national titles in 2022, winning in both the 100 metres and the 200 metres. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

She won the senior national title in 2024, as well as winning multiple medals at the Romanian junior championships. ^[7] In 2024, she had to recover from suffering a concussion that year after winning at the Jerusalem Grand Prix, but hitting her head on the floor at the finish. ^[8]

In February 2025, she won the 60 metres at the 2025 Balkan Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. ^[9] She competed in the 60 metres at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, reaching the semi-finals with a personal best 7.26 seconds. ^[10] That month, she ran for Romania at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing.

Personal life

She has also worked as a model and has a strong interest in fashion. ^{[2] [3] [11] [12]} She studies for a master's degree at Romanian Facultatea de Sport. ^[13]

References

1. "Maria Mihalache". World Athletics. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
2. Carcea, Adela Cristina (October 21, 2024). "The fastest athlete in Romania suffered a concussion at the end of the competition". Replicaonline.ro. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
3. "Maria Mihalache, speranța atletismului românesc, la finalul unui sezon foarte bun. Ce a postat după Mondiale". Digisport.ro. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
4. "Romanian Championships". World Athletics. 26 June 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
5. "Romanian Championships". World Athletics. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
6. Craitoiu, Andrei (Oct 17, 2024). "A new cry of despair from a Romanian athlete: "There is no money for sports, there is money for everything else, but not for sports"". Libertatea.ro. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
7. "Four gold medals, at just 21 years old. Who is Maria Mihalache, the fastest woman in Romania?". Euronews. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
8. "Atleta Maria Mihalache, clipe de coșmar după victoria de la Ierusalim: a suferit o comoție cerebrală și a fost transportată de urgență la spital". aznews.ro. 20 Oct 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
9. "Belgrade Hosted the Best Balkan Athletes". Balkan Athletics. 15 February 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
10. "Athletics: Romania participates with seven athletes at the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands". ecopolitic. 4 March 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
11. "Maria Mihalache, champion in athletics and on the fashion podium". Click.ro. August 22, 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
12. Nichita, Ionut (8 August 2021). "Maria Mihalache este atleta model a României. Și la propriu și la figurat! Foto". Fanatik.ro. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
13. "„Am trecut linia de finiș și am făcut comoție cerebrală" » Povestea impresionantă a celei mai rapide atlete din România, Maria Mihalache: „M-am trezit la spital, cu o pancartă mică pe care scria «winner»"". gsp.ro. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.