Lyudmyla Blonska

Lyudmyla Leonidivna Blonska, née Shevchuk (Ukrainian: Людмила Леонідівна Блонська (Шевчук)), sometimes known as Lyudmila Blonskaya, (born November 9, 1977) is a former Ukrainian heptathlete, long jumper and 2006 World Indoor champion pentathlete. She was given a lifetime ban from competition after failing a drug test at the 2008 Summer Olympics, her second doping offense.

Blonska was born as Lyudmyla Leonidivna Shevchuk on 9 November 1977 in Simferopol, Crimea, Ukrainian SSR. In 2000, she graduated from the Kharkiv Institute as a trainer and teacher of physical culture. She then moved to Brovary with fellow athlete Serhiy Blonskyy, whom she married. They have two children – Iryna (born 15 May 2001) and Oleksandr (born 23 June 2004).

Blonska practiced rhythmic gymnastics from age five to ten. She then switched to basketball and later judo and cycle racing. At age 14 she was introduced to athletics by a local coach.

In 1993, Blonska participated in the Ukrainian Youth Championships in Odessa, entering the heptathlon competition for the first time. She recalls crying out of fear before the 800m event, but then falling in love with heptathlon after scoring good results.

In 1995, after finishing school, Blonska moved to the capital, Kiev, to begin training as member of the Ukrainian youth team. Five months later she received an invitation to study at the Institute of Sports and Physical Culture in Kharkiv. She found herself without a trainer and had to coach herself for a year and a half, while working at night to make ends meet.

In 1998, Blonska achieved 3rd place in the national championships with 5554 points and, in 1999, improved her personal best (PB) to 5765.

In May 2002, a year after becoming a mother, Blonska won the National Championship with a PB of 6039 and qualified for the European Championships in Munich. There she finished thirteenth and soon thereafter tested positive for steroids. She has said she was willing to appeal the IAAF's decision, but lacked the financial backing to do so. She served a two-year ban, before returning to the sport.

Blonska generally performed better after her ban than before it was imposed. She won the gold medal at the 2005 Universiade and finished fifth at the 2006 European Championships. She won the gold medal at the 2006 World Indoor Championships in the pentathlon.

Blonska's personal best heptathlon score is 6832 points, a Ukrainian record, achieved in August 2007 in Osaka where she won the silver medal. Just prior to the Beijing Olympics, she finished eighth in pentathlon at the World Indoor Championships.

At the 2008 Olympics, Blonska won silver in the women's heptathlon, but she was quickly disqualified and lost her medal after she tested positive for the anabolic steroid methyltestosterone. She had qualified for the long jump final, but the International Olympic Committee decided to expel her from the Games completely. As this was her second doping offence she was given a lifetime ban from competitive athletics. Her husband was also banned for life.