Živilė Balčiūnaitė
{{short description|Lithuanian long-distance runner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Živilė Balčiūnaitė
| image = Zivile Balciunaite by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg
| imagesize =
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| nationality = {{LIT}}
| residence =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|04|03|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
| height =
| weight =
| website =
| country = Lithuania
| sport = Running
| event =
| worlds =
| regionals = 1st, 2010
| nationals = 1st, 2000
2nd, 2001, 2009
| olympics =
| paralympics =
| highestranking =
| pb =
}}
Živilė Balčiūnaitė (born 3 April 1979{{Cite web|title=Živilė Balčiūnaitė|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/fanguide/athlete?id=9337|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008194146/http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/fanguide/athlete?id=9337|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 October 2008|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=11 November 2009}} in Vilnius) is a Lithuanian Marathon runner.
Career
Balčiūnaitė finished 4th at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. She also competed in the same event at the 2004 Olympics, finishing 14th. She finished 11th at the 2008 Olympics.
Doping bans
In April 2011, the Athletics Federation of Lithuania announced Balčiūnaitė has been banned for two years for a positive drug test and was stripped of her marathon gold medal from the 2010 European Athletics Championships.{{cite news|title =Lithuanian marathon runner Balciunaite banned for 2 years after positive doping test|url =https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/lithuanian-marathon-runner-balciunaite-banned-for-2-years-after-positive-doping-test/2011/04/05/AFyZ6YjC_story.html|newspaper =The Washington Post|agency =Associated Press|date =5 April 2011|archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20181031152453/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/lithuanian-marathon-runner-balciunaite-banned-for-2-years-after-positive-doping-test/2011/04/05/AFyZ6YjC_story.html|archivedate =31 October 2018|accessdate =2011-04-05|url-status =dead}}
Balčiūnaitė received an eight year ban in July 2016 by the Athletics Federation of Lithuania after testing positive for meldonium.{{cite news|accessdate=9 September 2023|date=18 July 2016|publisher=Sports Illustrated|title=Balciunaite gets 8-year ban after failing doping test|url=https://www.si.com/uncategorized/2016/07/18/ap-ath-doping-balciunaite}}
Achievements
| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} | |||||
| colspan="6"|Representing {{LTU}} | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | World Junior Championships | Annecy, France | 10th | 3000 m | 9:34.01 |
| 1999 | European U23 Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 5th | 10,000 m | 33:47.13 |
| 2001 | European U23 Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 5th | 10,000 m | 34:04.34 |
| 2004 | 2004 Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 14th | Marathon | 2:35:01 |
| 2006 | 2006 European Championships in Athletics | Gothenburg, Sweden | 4th | Marathon | 2:31:01 |
| 2007 | 2007 World Championships in Athletics | Osaka, Japan | 33rd | Marathon | 2:43:28 |
| 2008 | 2008 Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 11th | Marathon | 2:29:33 |
| 2009 | 2009 World Championships in Athletics | Berlin, Germany | 19th | Marathon | 2:31:06 |
| 2010 | 2010 European Championships in Athletics | Barcelona, Spain | bgcolor="pink"| dq | Marathon | 2:31:14 |
| 2013 | 2013 World Championships in Athletics | Moscow, Russia | 20th | Marathon | 2:41:09 SB |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{World Athletics}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balciunaite, Zivile}}
Category:Athletes from Vilnius
Category:Lithuanian female long-distance runners
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic athletes for Lithuania
Category:Lithuanian sportspeople in doping cases