Vladas Česiūnas

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameVladislavas "Vladas"•Česiūnas
Used nameVladas•Česiūnas
Other namesVladislavas Adolfovich "Vladas" Chesyunas, Владиславас Адольфович "Владас" Чесюнас
Born15 March 1940 in Vyšnialaukiai, Kaunas (LTU)
Died16 January 2023
Measurements183 cm / 83 kg
AffiliationsDynamo Vilnius, Vilnius (LTU)
NOC Soviet Union
Nationality Lithuania
Medals OG
Gold 1
Silver 0
Bronze 0
Total 1

Biography

Vladas Česiūnas was a Lithuanian sprint canoer who competed for the Soviet Union, winning four world titles and an Olympic gold medal. Česiūnas will also be remembered for an incident that took place in 1979 when he allegedly defected to West Germany.

Česiūnas formed a strong partnership with Yury Lobanov, with the pair winning the gold medal in the C-2 1,000 metres at the 1972 München Olympics. The two of them then won four gold medals at the Flatwater World Championships, winning the C-2 10,000 metres title in 1973–75 and the C-2 1,000 metres title in 1974. They also won silver in the C-2 1,000 metres in 1973, and Česiūnas won an individual bronze in the C-1 1,000 metres in 1971. During the 1970s Česiūnas was a six-time Soviet champion and was named the athlete of the year in Lithuania in 1973 and 1974.

In 1979 Česiūnas was in attendance as a spectator at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg, West Germany. While the German and Soviet accounts of what happened differ, it was claimed that Česiūnas had met a Lithuanian‐born woman in West Germany and later moved in with her. Shortly after he was interviewed by a Lithuanian-language newspaper, published in Chicago, where he said he was planning to make embarrassing disclosures about Soviet sports ahead of the 1980 Moskva Olympics.

The Soviet press agency stated that Česiūnas had been made to stay in West Germany against his will, before reaching the Soviet Embassy in Bonn, and then taken home to the Soviet Union by the KGB. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2002 Česiūnas said that he left West Germany on his own accord and returned home voluntarily. Once back in the Soviet Union he was threatened with being sent to a prison camp for 15 years of hard labour, but was not imprisoned. Česiūnas lost his job in the customs department where he worked and was made to take a civilian job as coach at a children’s sports school.

After the breakup of the Soviet Union Česiūnas was awarded with the Order of the Cross of Vytis and the Commemorative Medal. He later returned to his job in customs, becoming the head of shifts in 2002.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal Nationality As
1972 Summer Olympics Canoe Sprint (Canoeing) URS LTU Vladas Česiūnas
Canadian Doubles, 1,000 metres, Men (Olympic) Yury Lobanov 1 Gold

Special Notes