In 1948 Romanian cyclist Marin Niculescu won both the national road race title and the road race at the Balkan Championships, along with a stage of the Peace Race. Niculescu continued his good form into the following year, finishing as the runner-up at both the national championships and the Tour of Poland, winning two stages of the latter along the way. In 1950 he placed third at the national championships before winning the biggest race of his career with victory at the 1951 edition of the Tour of Romania. Niculescu was then selected to compete at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics where he finished 41st in the individual road race, more than 17 minutes behind the race winner. He won two more stages of the Tour of Romania in 1954, retiring from the sport shortly afterwards.
Romania