Laura Asadauskaitė-Zadneprovskienė

Laura Asadauskaitė-Zadneprovskienė was born on 28 February 1984 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

She is a Lithuanian modern pentathlete, an Olympic champion and medalist in modern pentathlon.

In 2011 she obtained a Master’s degree in European Union politics and administration from Mykolas Romeris University.

Asadauskaitė earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Sports from Vilnius Pedagogical University in 2006.

Asadauskaitė officially retired from professional sports in 2024.

She won a silver medal in modern pentathlon at the 2023 European Games held in Poland.

She also won a silver medal in women’s modern pentathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021).

In June 2019, Asadauskaitė won the UIPM Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final in Tokyo, securing her qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Asadauskaitė is a World Champion in modern pentathlon, having won the individual gold at the 2013 World Championships in Taiwan.

Asadauskaitė is a four-time European champion in modern pentathlon, winning individual gold at the European Championships in 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2019.

She won the gold medal in women’s modern pentathlon at the 2012 London Olympic Games, setting a new Olympic record score.

She competed in five Olympic Games (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024) over her athletic career.

She became the first woman in modern pentathlon history to compete in five Olympic Games.

She won multiple medals at the Modern Pentathlon World Championships before her 2013 title, including a bronze in 2007 (Berlin), a silver in 2009 (London), and two bronze medals in 2011 (Moscow).

Asadauskaitė began her sports career in swimming in 1994 (coached by Irena Jurevič) and switched to modern pentathlon in 2002.

Her coaches have included Jevgenijus Kliosovas (from 2002) and her husband Andrejus Zadneprovskis (from 2011).

She has been a member of the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament) since 14 November 2024.

She is a member of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party’s political group (faction) in the Seimas, joining it on 14 November 2024.

She is the Chair of the Seimas Commission for Youth and Sport Affairs, a position she assumed on 5 December 2024.

Asadauskaitė serves on the Seimas Committee on Social Affairs and Labour, being a member since 19 November 2024.

In the October 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary elections, Asadauskaitė ran as a candidate with the Social Democratic Party.

She was ranked 11th on the Social Democratic Party’s national candidate list for the 2024 Seimas elections.

She was elected to the Seimas in 2024 via the multi-member nationwide constituency (the party list) of the Social Democrats.

In the 2024 Seimas elections, Asadauskaitė-Zadneprovskienė only ran on the Social Democratic Party’s nationwide list (11th position) and did not contest any single-member constituency.

The Social Democratic Party won the 2024 parliamentary elections, securing 52 seats in the Seimas, which ensured that Asadauskaitė (as the 11th candidate on the party list) obtained a mandate via the multi-member constituency.

In the 2024 Seimas elections, voter preferential votes moved Asadauskaitė-Zadneprovskienė from her initial 11th position to 8th place on the LSDP’s candidate list, securing her seat in the first round when the party won 20 list mandates.

As a Seimas member (since late 2024), Asadauskaitė’s base monthly salary is approximately €6,248 gross (about €3,780 net) under the new pay scales.

According to 2023 asset declarations, Asadauskaitė-Zadneprovskienė’s family wealth was below €1 million (she did not appear among the 121 public officials or their relatives who declared assets over that threshold).

Asadauskaitė was awarded a €61,000 prize by the Lithuanian government for winning the silver medal in modern pentathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

As an Olympic medalist, she is entitled to a lifetime monthly pension (state annuity) from Lithuania; after retiring from sports, she can receive 27 basic social benefit units per month (about €1080).

For winning the Olympic gold medal in 2012, Asadauskaitė received a state monetary award of 400,000 Lithuanian litas (approximately €116,000).

She is a member of the Seimas Provisional Group of Women (Women’s Parliamentary Group), joining this caucus on 12 December 2024.

In December 2021, Asadauskaitė-Zadneprovskienė was elected President of the National Athletes’ Association (NSA), a union uniting athletes from more than 60 different sports disciplines.

She served as a member of the Athletes’ Commission of the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania, joining the commission in 2021.

She has served as a volunteer in Lithuania’s National Defence system since 2003.

In 2020, she was honored with the Grand Cross of Commander of the Order of Gediminas.

She received the Order "For Merits to Lithuania" Commander’s Grand Cross in 2012.

Asadauskaitė was recognized as Lithuania’s Athlete of the Year four times: in 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2021.

In 2007, she was awarded the Medal of the Order "For Merits to Lithuania".

In late 2025, as Chair of the Seimas Youth and Sport Affairs Commission, she announced that Lithuania’s 2026 state budget would allocate €79.8 million for sports – an 8.9% increase over the previous year – with additional funds to raise athletes’ stipends and coaches’ salaries.

In January 2025, she joined numerous inter-parliamentary relations groups, including those with Canada, Japan, Germany, and other countries.

Asadauskaitė has for many years maintained a close, supportive relationship with a girl in foster care, acting as a mentor and expressing hopes that every child could grow up in a loving family.

Her husband, Andrejus Zadneprovskis, is a former modern pentathlete who won two Olympic medals (silver in 2004 and bronze in 2008). He served for 16 years in the Vilnius Mounted Police (holding an inspector’s rank) before retiring in 2011, and later became a coach and vice-president of Lithuania’s modern pentathlon federation.

Asadauskaitė and her husband have a daughter, Adriana, born in 2010.

In 2009, Laura Asadauskaitė married fellow modern pentathlete and Olympic medalist Andrejus Zadneprovskis.