Lyudmila Blonska
Encyclopedia
Lyudmyla Leonydivna Blonska , née Shevchuk (born November 9, 1977 in Simferopol
) is a Ukrainian
heptathlete
, long jump
er and 2006 World Indoor
champion pentathlete
. She was given a lifetime ban from competition after failing a drug test at the 2008 Summer Olympics
, her second doping offense.
from age five to ten. She then switched to basketball
and later judo
and cycle racing. At age 14 she was introduced to athletics by a local coach.
In 1993, Blonska participated in the Ukrainian Youth Championships, in Odessa
, entering the heptathlon competition for the first time. She recalls crying out of fear before the 800m event, but then falling in love with heptathlon after scoring good results.
In 1995, after finishing school, Blonska moved to capital Kiev
to begin training as member of the Ukrainian youth team. Five months later she received an invitation to study at the Institute of Sports and Physical Culture in Kharkiv
. She found herself without a trainer and had to coach herself for a year and a half, while working at night to make ends meet.
In 1998, Blonska achieved 3rd place in the national championships with 5554 points and, in 1999, improved her personal best (PB) to 5765.
In 2000, Blonska graduated from the Kharkov Institute as trainer and teacher of physical culture and moved with fellow athlete Serhiy Blonskyy to Brovary
. She became a mother the following year.
In May 2002, a year after becoming a mother, Blonska won the National Championship with a PB of 6039 and qualified for the European Championships
in Munich
. There she finished thirteenth and soon thereafter tested positive for steroid
s. She has said she was willing to appeal the IAAF's decision, but lacked the financial backing to do so. She served a two-year ban, before returning to the sport. In June 2004, she gave birth to her second child.
Blonska generally performed better after her ban than before it was imposed. She won the gold medal
at the 2005 Universiade
and finished fifth at the 2006 European Championships
. She won the gold medal at the 2006 World Indoor Championships
in the pentathlon
.
Blonska's personal best heptathlon score is 6832 points, a Ukrainian record, achieved in August 2007 in Osaka
where she won the silver medal
. Just prior to the Beijing Olympics, she finished eighth in pentathlon
at the World Indoor Championships
.
At the 2008 Olympics, Blonska won silver in the women's heptathlon
, but she was quickly disqualified and lost her medal after she tested positive for the anabolic steroid methyltestosterone
. She had qualified for the long jump
final, but the International Olympic Committee
decided to throw her out of the Games completely. As this was her second doping offence she was given a lifetime ban from competitive athletics.
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
) is a Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
heptathlete
Heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
, long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
er and 2006 World Indoor
2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations was held in Moscow from March 10 to March 12, 2006 in the Olimpiyski Sport arena....
champion pentathlete
Women's pentathlon
The pentathlon is a sports contest made up of five events . The women's pentathlon was contested in the Olympics from 1964 until 1980, and it was replaced in the 1984 Games with the heptathlon. It had a different set of events than the ancient Olympic pentathlon...
. She was given a lifetime ban from competition after failing a drug test at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, her second doping offense.
Life and career
Blonska practiced rhythmic gymnasticsRhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon and Free . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time...
from age five to ten. She then switched to basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and later judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
and cycle racing. At age 14 she was introduced to athletics by a local coach.
In 1993, Blonska participated in the Ukrainian Youth Championships, in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, entering the heptathlon competition for the first time. She recalls crying out of fear before the 800m event, but then falling in love with heptathlon after scoring good results.
In 1995, after finishing school, Blonska moved to capital Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
to begin training as member of the Ukrainian youth team. Five months later she received an invitation to study at the Institute of Sports and Physical Culture in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
. She found herself without a trainer and had to coach herself for a year and a half, while working at night to make ends meet.
In 1998, Blonska achieved 3rd place in the national championships with 5554 points and, in 1999, improved her personal best (PB) to 5765.
In 2000, Blonska graduated from the Kharkov Institute as trainer and teacher of physical culture and moved with fellow athlete Serhiy Blonskyy to Brovary
Brovary
Brovary is a city in Kiev Oblast in northern Ukraine, an eastern suburb of the country's capital, Kiev. It is the administrative centre of the Brovarskyi Raion . Brovary is an ancient town, firstly mentioned in 1630. Its name translated from Ukrainian means "brewers"...
. She became a mother the following year.
In May 2002, a year after becoming a mother, Blonska won the National Championship with a PB of 6039 and qualified for the European Championships
2002 European Championships in Athletics
The 18th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 August to 11 August 2002 in the Olympic Stadium of Munich, Germany.-Track:1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |2010 |...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. There she finished thirteenth and soon thereafter tested positive for steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
s. She has said she was willing to appeal the IAAF's decision, but lacked the financial backing to do so. She served a two-year ban, before returning to the sport. In June 2004, she gave birth to her second child.
Blonska generally performed better after her ban than before it was imposed. She won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 2005 Universiade
2005 Summer Universiade
The 2005 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXIII Summer Universiade, took place in İzmir, Turkey.-Emblem:The emblem is the letter “U”, inspired by the bird’s-eye view of the Gulf of İzmir.This shape has perfectly fit the letter “U” of Universiade,...
and finished fifth at the 2006 European Championships
2006 European Championships in Athletics
The 19th European Athletics Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 7 August and 13 August 2006. The competition arena was the Ullevi Stadium and the official motto "Catch the Spirit"...
. She won the gold medal at the 2006 World Indoor Championships
2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations was held in Moscow from March 10 to March 12, 2006 in the Olimpiyski Sport arena....
in the pentathlon
Women's pentathlon
The pentathlon is a sports contest made up of five events . The women's pentathlon was contested in the Olympics from 1964 until 1980, and it was replaced in the 1984 Games with the heptathlon. It had a different set of events than the ancient Olympic pentathlon...
.
Blonska's personal best heptathlon score is 6832 points, a Ukrainian record, achieved in August 2007 in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
where she won the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
. Just prior to the Beijing Olympics, she finished eighth in pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
at the World Indoor Championships
2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Luis Puig Palace in Valencia, Spain, March 7-9, 2008.-Bid:Valencia was announced the winning bidder by the IAAF on November 13, 2005 at an IAAF Council meeting in Moscow, Russia.-Men:...
.
At the 2008 Olympics, Blonska won silver in the women's heptathlon
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's heptathlon
-Results:-Heat 1:-Heat 2:-Heat 3:-Heat 4:-Heat 5:-Group A:-Group B:-Group A:...
, but she was quickly disqualified and lost her medal after she tested positive for the anabolic steroid methyltestosterone
Methyltestosterone
Methyltestosterone is a 17-alpha-alkylated anabolic steroid used to treat men with a testosterone deficiency. It is also used in women to treat breast cancer, breast pain, swelling due to pregnancy, and with the addition of estrogen it can treat symptoms of menopause...
. She had qualified for the long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
final, but the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
decided to throw her out of the Games completely. As this was her second doping offence she was given a lifetime ban from competitive athletics.
See also
- Doping at the Olympic GamesDoping at the Olympic GamesThe use of PEDs has had a long history at the Olympic Games. Its origins can be traced even back to the Ancient Olympics where Olympians would eat lizard meat prepared a special way, in the hopes that it would give them an athletic edge. The first documented use of drugs to improve an athlete's...
- List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences