Agate Caune (born 7 August 2004) is a Latvian track and field athlete. A multiple national champion, she is also the Latvian national record holder over 3000 metres. She was named the Rising Star of the Year and the female U20 Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2022.

Career 
From Valmiera, Caune won the silver medal in the 5000m at the 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn, whilst just 16 years-old. She then went to the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi and finished sixth in the 3000m. Competing at the 2022 World U20 Championships, held in Cali, Colombia, she finished sixth in the 3000m final and ran 15:43.56 to finish fourth in the 5000m. Caune ran 15:12.94 for the 5000m in Karlsruhe, Germany in May 2023.

At the 2023 European Indoor Championships held in Istanbul in March 2023, Caune qualified for the final, where she set a new Latvian U20 record for the 3000m, clocking 8:56.88 to finish in eleventh place.

In May 2023, Caune won a 5k event at the Riga Marathon, running it in 15:23 seconds, beating the Jeļena Prokopčuka best previous time from 2009, by seven seconds. Caune then won a gold medal in the 5000 meters at the 2023 European Team Games running 15:15.21 in the Second Division race.

On July 16, 2023, in Silesia, Caune made her Diamond League debut and finished in seventh place in the 3000m distance, running 8:39.78 to break the Latvian national record.

In August 2023, Caune won gold medals in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres at the 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships in Jerusalem, Israel. She set a new championship record of 15:03.38 in the 5000 metres. Caune subsequently went on to the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. She used a bold strategy—heading straight to the front of the pack and not slowing down as the distance between her and her competitors increased—that helped her advance to the next round of the 5000 metres. However, prior to the final event, Caune withdrew due to a pelvic injury that had been present from the past few days. Upon the recommendation of her doctors, she elected to miss the race and not risk worsen her condition if she were to run.

Junior year 
Caune started out in 2019 as the Latvian U16 champion in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres events. She became the Latvian U18 indoor and outdoor 3000 metres champion in 2020. During the 2021 Latvian U18 Championships, she won gold in the 800 metres and 1500 metres. Additionally, she gained her first national title in the 5000 metres the same year.

Caune was the national champion in the 5000 metres for the second time, as well as the Latvian 10,000 metres champion in 2022. Throughout the year, she was declared the Latvian U20 champion for distances such as the: indoor 800 metres, indoor and outdoor 1500 metres, and outdoor 3000 metres.

Caune remains the champion of the 2023 Latvian 10,000 metres. Currently, she has national titles in the outdoor 1500 metres and indoor 3000 metres. She received further awards at the 2023 Latvian U20 Championships when she won in categories like the indoor 800 metres and the indoor and outdoor 1500 metres.

Achievements 
Information from her World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

Personal bests 
 800 metres — 2:12.76 (Pärnu 2022)
 800 metres indoor — 2:10.24 (Valmiera 2023)
 1500 metres — 4:14.79 (Valmiera 2023)
 1500 metres indoor — 4:17.01 (Valmiera 2023) 
 1000 metres indoor — 2:46.58 (Valmiera 2023) 
 2000 metres indoor — 5:55.29 (Valmiera 2023) 
 3000 metres — 8:39.78 (Chorzów 2023)  
 3000 metres indoor — 8:56.88 (Istanbul 2023)
 5000 metres — 15:00.48 (Budapest 2023)

International competitions

National titles 
 Latvian Championships (5)
 1500 metres: 2023
 5000 metres: 2021, 2022
 10000 metres: 2022, 2023
 Latvian Indoor Championships (2)
 3000 metres: 2022, 2023

See also 
 List of Latvian records in athletics
 List of Baltic records in athletics
 European Athletics U20 Championships

References

External links 
Agate Caune at World Athletics

2004 births
Living people
Latvian female long-distance runners
Athletes (track and field) at the 2023 European Games
European Games gold medalists for Latvia
European Games medalists in athletics