Romas Ubartas
He hurled a discus to Olympic glory for two different flags, capturing his nation's first gold just as it regained independence.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Lithuanian discus thrower·Birthday: May 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Romas Ubartas's career is a story of shifting allegiances and immense power, written in the arc of a discus. Emerging from the Soviet sports machine, the Lithuanian athlete first claimed silver for the USSR in Seoul in 1988. Four years later, in Barcelona, he stood atop the podium under the yellow, green, and red of a newly independent Lithuania, his gold medal a potent symbol of national pride. His throw of 70.06 meters marked him as one of the event's elite. However, his trajectory was abruptly altered in 1993 when a failed doping test resulted in a four-year ban, casting a long shadow over his later career. Ubartas remains a complex figure in athletics: a champion who delivered a historic moment for his country, yet whose legacy is intertwined with the controversies of his era.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Romas was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Romas Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Romas's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the gold medal in the discus throw at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, independent Lithuania's first Olympic gold.
- Captured a silver medal in the discus for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
- Became the European champion in the discus throw in 1986.
- Achieved a personal best throw of 70.06 meters.
Did You Know?
He is one of the few athletes to win Olympic medals for two different national entities (USSR and Lithuania).
His 1992 Olympic gold was Lithuania's first as an independent nation since the interwar period.
He failed a doping test in 1993 after finishing fourth at the World Championships and received a four-year ban.
He trained with the Dynamo sports society in Vilnius during the Soviet era.
“The discus is a silent partner; you must listen to its weight to find the throw.”
