Staicu qualified for the Hungarian team, as a 33-year-old, in the women's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She registered an IAAF A-standard and a 2004 seasonal best of 2:36:46, following her victory at the Osaka Marathon in Japan. Staicu finished the race with a forty-fifth place time in 2:48:57 from a vast field of 83 marathon runners, just twelve seconds slower than her entry standard.