Donata Karalienė (née Vištartaitė, born 11 June 1989) is a Lithuanian rower and Olympic bronze medalist at the Rio 2016 Games. She is also known for winning gold medals at the 2013 World Rowing Championships, and the 2012 and 2013 European Rowing Championships.[1]
 Karalienė (left) and Milda Valčiukaitė | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Donata Vištartaitė | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 June 1989 Gūbriai, Lithuania | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 171 cm (5 ft 7 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Lithuania | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Rowing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career edit
Karalienė, competing under her maiden name Vištartaitė, had a successful junior career, finishing 6th at her first Junior World Championships in 2006, and following that by winning a bronze medal at the 2007 World Junior Championships and gold at the 2010 and 2011 Under 23 World Championships.[2][3][4][5]
Karalienė won the women's single sculls at the 2012 European Championships, having won bronze the year before.[6][7]
Switching to the double sculls, Karalienė teamed up with Milda Valčiukaitė. The pair went unbeaten in their first season, winning the 2013 World Championships and the 2013 European Championships.[2][8][9] Following this, the team narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2014 World Championships, but won the silver medal at the 2014 and 2015 European Championships.[10][11][12]
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Karalienė and Valčiukaitė won the bronze medal in the women's double sculls, Lithuania's first women's rowing medal since 2000.[13]
Biography edit
Karalienė was originally a track athlete, competing in the middle distance events. When her coach stopped coaching, she continued without support. A rowing coach visited her home town looking for talented athletes with the potential to become rowers. He convinced her to take up rowing. She was very successful, winning the Lithuanian junior championships after only one year of rowing training. Because of this success, she was invited to attend a sports boarding school in Kaunas.[2]
Studying in Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education.[14] She lives in Kaunas.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Donata Karalien". International Rowing Federation. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ a b c "Donata KARALIENE". worldrowing.com. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2007 WORLD ROWING JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Beijing, CHN – (JW1x) Junior Women's Single Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 11 August 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2010 UNDER 23 WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS – Brest, BLR – (BW1x) U23 Women's Single Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 25 July 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2011 UNDER 23 WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS – Amsterdam, NED – (BW1x) U23 Women's Single Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2012 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – Varese, ITA -(W1x) Women's Single Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2011 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – Plovdiv, BUL – (W1x) Women's Single Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 18 September 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2013 WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS -Chungju, KOR – (W2x) Women's Double Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2013 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – Seville, ESP – (W2x) Women's Double Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2014 WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS -Amsterdam, NED – (W2x) Women's Double Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2014 EUROPEAN ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS – Belgrade, SRB – (W2x) Women's Double Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "2015 EUROPEAN ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS -Poznan, POL – (W2x) Women's Double Sculls – Final". worldrowing.com. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "The Year that was….. women's double sculls". worldrowing.com. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ LTOK žurnalas[permanent dead link]
External links edit
- Donata Vištartaitė at World Rowing
- Donata Vištartaitė at Olympics.com
- Donata Vištartaitė at Olympedia
- Donata Vištartaitė at the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (in Lithuanian)
