Jānis Doniņš

Doniņš 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]

Doniņš 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]