Sinta Ozoliņa-Kovala

{{Infobox sportsperson

| image = Sinta Ozoliņa-Kovala.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Sinta Ozoliņa-Kovala in 2012

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|2|26|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Riga, Latvian SSR

| height ={{height|m=1.86}}

| weight ={{convert|78|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

| country = {{LAT}}

| sport =Athletics

| event =Javelin

| coach =

| highestranking =

| pb =

| medaltemplates =

| updated = 11 August 2012

}}

Sinta Ozoliņa-Kovala (born 26 February 1988) is a Latvian javelin thrower. She was the 2007 European Junior silver medalist. She competed for Latvia at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

Career

Ozoliņa-Kovala was one of many Latvian javelin throwers coached by Valentīna Eiduka.{{cite web|url= https://www.1188.lv/en/news/mirusi-skepmesanas-trenere-valentina-eiduka/22087 |website=ll88.lv|accessdate=30 April 2025|date= 19 November 2023|title=

Javelin thrower coach Valentina Eiduka dies}} In 2006, she competed at the World Junior Championships, reached the final and finished in sixth place.{{cite web|website=World Athletics|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/6945850?eventId=10229533 |title=Beijing IAAF World Junior Championships |accessdate=30 April 2025|date= 15 August 2006}} She won the silver medal at the 2007 European Junior Championships, finishing second only to Ukraine's Vira Rebryk.{{cite web|website=World Athletics|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/6899744?eventId=10229533 |accessdate=30 April 2025|date= 19 July 2007|title= European Junior Championships}}

In 2008, Ozoliņa-Kovala made her first appearance at the Summer Olympics. During the javelin throw qualification, she set a new Latvian record in javelin throw – 60.13m. This result also gave her a spot in the final, as that result was the twelfth best on the night. Two days later, in the final, Ozoliņa's best throw was 53.38m and she finished in tenth place.{{cite web|website=World Athletics|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/6977748?eventId=10229533 |accessdate=30 April 2025|date= 15 August 2008|title= The XXIX Olympic Games}}

She competed at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, but did not reach the final.{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7003369?eventId=10229533 |website=World Athletics|accessdate=27 April 2025|title=Barcelona European Championships|date=27 July 2010}}

She had an sixth place finish at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland, with a best throw of 58.34 metres.{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7013034?eventId=10229533 |website=World Athletics|accessdate=27 April 2025|title=European Championships|date=1 July 2012}} Competing at the 2012 London Olympics, Ozoliņa-Kovala had her best throw in tne second round of 58.86 meters. Ozoliņa-Kovala ranked 11th in her group and 20th in the overall standings of the qualification competition, which was not enough to qualify for the final.{{cite web|url= https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/sports/citi/skaties-interviju-skepmeteja-ozolina-kovala-pec-neieklusanas-finala.a5164/|website=lsm.lv|language=Latvian|accessdate=30 April 2025|title= Skaties interviju: šķēpmetēja Ozoliņa-Kovala pēc neiekļūšanas finālā|date=7 August 2012}}

In 2013, Ozoliņa-Kovala won the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Challenge Series in Beijing. She won with a throw of 60.90 meters, 64 centimetres ahead of second-place finisher Maria Abakumova of Russia. In early May of that year she placed fourth at the previous Challenge Series competition in Tokyo with a throw of 59.25 metres.{{cite web|url= https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/sports/vieglatletika/skepmeteja-ozolina-kovala-uzvar-iaaf-serijas-sacensibas.a57121/|website=lsm.lv|access-date=30 April 2025|title= Šķēpmetēja Ozoliņa-Kovala uzvar IAAF sērijas sacensībās|date=21 May 2013}} She threw a personal best distance of 64.38 metres in Riga in 2013, 13 centimetres behind the Latvian record set by Madara Palameika.{{cite web|url= https://athletics.lv/en/article/1189/ozolina-kovala-iuzbruki-latvijas-rekordam-viri-met-pari-80-metriem|website=athletics.lv|access-date=30 April 2025|title= OZOLIŅA-KOVALA ATTACKS THE LATVIAN RECORD, MEN THROW OVER 80 METERS|date=30 May 2013|language=Latvian}}

Competing in Zurich, Switzerland, she had an eleventh place finish at the 2014 European Athletics Championships with a best throw of 57.82 metres.{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7049119?eventId=10229533|website=World Athletics|accessdate=27 April 2025|title= Zürich European Championships|date=12 August 2014}}

She had a seventh place finish at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Beijing where she threw 62.20 metres.{{cite web|website=World Athletics|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7078726?eventId=10229533 |accessdate=30 April 2025|date= 22 August 2015|title= IAAF World Championships}}

She competed at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands, but did not qualify for the final.{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7093750?eventId=10229533 |website=World Athletics|accessdate=27 April 2025|title=European Championships|date=6 July 2016}} She competed at her third Olympic Games at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, but did not qualify for the final.{{cite web|website=World Athletics|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7093747?eventId=10229533 |accessdate=30 April 2025|date= 12 August 2016|title= The XXXI Olympic Games}}

Personal life

She got married to Dainis Sprudzāns in Kuldīga in the week after she competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics. After the wedding, the athlete took her husband's surname.{{cite web|url= https://nra.lv/izklaide/185426-vakara-zinas-apprecejusies-skepmeteja-sinta-ozolina.htm|website=nra.lv|accessdate=30 April 2025|title= Javelin thrower Sinta Ozoliņa gets married|first=Santa |last=Sergeyeva|date=Sep 20, 2016

}}