Romas UBARTAS

Romas Ubartas took up athletics at age 15 and was selected for the Soviet national team in 1983. Ubartas became the first athlete to win an Olympic medal for newly independent Lithuania, when he won the Olympic discus gold on 5 August 1992. Four years earlier, at the 1988 Olympics, Ubartas had won a silver medal, representing the Soviet Union. In addition to his Olympic medals, Ubartas was the 1986 European Champion, won gold medals at the 1986 and 1990 Goodwill Games, and won silver at the 1989 European Cup. In 1991, Ubartas was considered as a heavy favorite at the World Championships, but he refused to compete for the Soviet Union. At the 1993 World Championships, competing for Lithuania, he initially finished fourth, but failed a doping test and was banned for four years. After his absence, Ubartas made a comeback but without the success of his earlier years. He finished his sports career in 2002 and later worked as an athletics coach in Lithuania.

Personal Best: DT – 70.06 (1988).