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Jānis Doniņš
Jānis Doniņš (born 20 April 1946)[1] is a Latvian-American former javelin thrower. Competing for the Soviet Union, he won the silver medal at the 1971 European Athletics Championships behind Jānis Lūsis.[2] CareerDoniņš placed sixth in the javelin throw at the 1969 European Championships in Athens with a throw 79.10 m (259 ft 6 in).[1] He won his event at the 1971 United States vs. Soviet Union dual meet in Berkeley, California with 89.33 m (293 ft 1 in), a meeting record and his personal best.[1][3][4] At the European Championships later that year in Helsinki he threw 85.30 m (279 ft 10 in) and placed second behind his teammate Jānis Lūsis.[1][2] Track & Field News ranked Doniņš tenth in the world in 1969 and second in 1971.[5] He was one of the favorites for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, but suffered a career-ending knee injury in training in February 1972.[4][6] Personal lifeDoniņš met Kathy Keefe, an American, on a competition trip to the United States in 1969. They married in 1972 and lived in the Soviet Union until 1974, when she left for America with their daughter.[4] Soviet authorities didn't allow Doniņš to leave with them at the time, but they relented in 1975 and he rejoined his family in California.[4][6] References
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