Liza Marie Hunter-Galvan (born 25 June 1969 in Auckland) is a New Zealand long-distance runner.[1] She qualified to run the Women's Marathon in both the 2004 Athens Olympic Games as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[2] She resides in San Antonio, Texas and has won the Marathon of the Americas on four occasions.[3][4] During her collegiate career she competed for UTSA and won the 1992 SLC Cross Country individual title, helping lead the Roadrunners to their second of three straight league crowns, and also qualified for the NCAA Championships.[5]

Liza Hunter-Galvan
Personal information
National teamNew Zealand
Born (1969-06-25) 25 June 1969 (age 55)
Auckland, New Zealand
EducationThe University of Texas at San Antonio[1]
Years active24
Sport
Country New Zealand
SportLong-distance running
EventMarathon
College teamUTSA Roadrunners

In August 2009, Hunter-Galvan admitted to taking the banned performance-enhancing substance EPO three times in her career, all of which were in 2009, after failing a drug test on March 23, 2009. She was banned from competition for two years starting May 2009.[6][7] Hunter-Galvan publicly apologized for her mistake and never sought to represent New Zealand again.[8] After the two-year hiatus, Hunter-Galvan was able to return to the sport in 2011 and competed at the San Antonio Rock 'n Roll Marathon where she ran a career best 2 hours, 29 minutes, 37 seconds.[9] Hunter-Galvan completed her 24-year running career by winning the woman's 2016 San Antonio Rock 'n Roll Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 57 minutes and 17 seconds.[10] Hunter-Galvan is still listed on the New Zealand Olympics roll of honour.[11] In 2018, Hunter-Galvan was indicted for welfare fraud in San Antonio, Texas.[12] The charges were subsequently dropped after Hunter-Galvan entered into negotiations and agreed to a plea bargain where she paid an amount in restitution.[13]

Achievements

edit
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing   New Zealand
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece 51st Marathon 2:50:23
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 39th Marathon 2:39:47
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, PR China 35th Marathon 2:34:51

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Mattingly, Marcia (29 July 2008). "UTSA Alumni Association announces awards". www.utsa.edu. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill (2016). "Liza Hunter-Galvan". Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  3. ^ iaaf.org - Lisa Hunter-Galvan profile Retrieved on 25 September 2009
  4. ^ mysanantonio.com - Hunter-Galvan returns to run Olympic marathon Archived 31 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 25 September 2009
  5. ^ Stephens, Kyle (9 August 2004). "UTSA alumna Liza Hunter heads to Athens". www.utsa.edu. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  6. ^ Briggs, Jerry (29 August 2009). "Hunter-Galvan accepts two-year doping ban". mySA. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Drug Free Sport New Zealand v Liza Hunter-Galvan » Decisions » Sports Tribunal of New Zealand". sportstribunal.org.nz. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  8. ^ Ward, Lynley. "Former Olympian Liza Hunter-Galvan's fight to clear her name". Now To Love. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  9. ^ Oliver, Richard (8 November 2011). "Hunter-Galvan back on course in running career". mySA. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  10. ^ Hinojosa, David (5 December 2016). "Hunter-Galvan caps competitive career with Rock 'n' Roll Marathon win". ExpressNews.com. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Shame, pain, and ultimately gain: The comeback of New Zealand's sports-doping Olympian Liza Hunter-Galvan". Stuff. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Disgraced Olympian Liza Hunter-Galvan indicted for welfare fraud in US". Stuff. 28 February 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  13. ^ Ward, Lynley (13 April 2018). "Former Olympian Liza Hunter-Galvan's fight to clear her name". Now To Love. Retrieved 28 February 2021.