Agate Caune (Latvian pronunciation: [ɑːgɑːtɛ t͡saʊnɛ] ah-GAH-teh tsown-eh; born 7 August 2004 in Valmiera, Latvia) is a Latvian track and field athlete. A multiple national champion, she is also the Latvian national record holder over 3000 metres.[3] She was named the Rising Star of the Year[4] and the female U20 Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2022.[5][6]
Caune started out in 2019 as the Latvian U16 champion in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres events. Gradually, she became the 2020 Latvian U18 champion in the indoor and outdoor 3000 metres. During the following 2021 Latvian U18 Championships, she won gold in the 800 metres and 1500 metres. Additionally, she gained her first national title in the 5000 metres the same year.
From Valmiera, Caune won the silver medal in the 5000m at the 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn, whilst just 16 years-old. She then went to the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi and finished sixth in the 3000m.
She was the national champion in the 5000 metres for the second time, as well as the Latvian 10,000 metres champion in 2022. Throughout the year, she was declared the Latvian U20 champion for distances such as the: indoor 800 metres, indoor and outdoor 1500 metres, and outdoor 3000 metres.
Competing at the 2022 World U20 Championships, held in Cali, Colombia, she finished sixth in the 3000m final and ran 15:43.56 to finish fourth in the 5000m. Caune ran 15:12.94 for the 5000m in Karlsruhe, Germany in May 2023.[7][8]
She remains the champion of the 2023 Latvian 10,000 metres. Currently, she has national titles in the outdoor 1500 metres and indoor 3000 metres. She received further awards at the 2023 Latvian U20 Championships when she won in categories like the indoor 800 metres and the indoor and outdoor 1500 metres.
At the 2023 European Indoor Championships held in Istanbul in March 2023, Caune qualified for the final, where she set a new Latvian U20 record for the 3000m, clocking 8:56.88 to finish in eleventh place.[9][10]
In May 2023, Caune won a 5k event at the Riga Marathon, running it in 15:23 seconds, beating the Jeļena Prokopčuka best previous time from 2009, by seven seconds.[11] Caune then won a gold medal in the 5000 meters at the 2023 European Team Games running 15:15.21 in the Second Division race.[12]
On July 16, 2023, in Silesia, Caune made her Diamond League debut and finished in seventh place in the 3000m distance, running 8:39.78 to break the Latvian national record.[13]
In August 2023, Caune won gold medals in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres at the 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships in Jerusalem. She set a new championship record of 15:03.38 in the 5000 metres.[14][15] Caune subsequently went on to the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. She used a bold strategy—heading straight to the front of the pack and not slowing down as the distance between her and her competitors increased—that helped her advance to the next round of the 5000 metres. However, prior to the final event, Caune withdrew due to a pelvic injury that had been present from the past few days. Upon the recommendation of her doctors, she elected to miss the race and not risk worsening her condition if she were to run.[16]
She was selected to compete for Latvia at the 2024 Olympic 5000 meters in Paris. She ran in the first heat Aug. 2. The first eight finishers qualified for the second round. Caune finished 16th in her heat (and 33rd overall) in a time of 15:38.19.[17]
Information from her World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
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