Lidia Chojecka-Leandro (born 25 January 1977) is a retired Polish middle- and long-distance runner who mainly competed in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres. She won bronze medals in the 1500 m at the 1997 and 1999 World Indoor Championships, and the 3000 m at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. Chojecka is a six-time European Indoor Championships medallist in the 1500 m and 3000 m events, earning three golds and three silvers. She took the double at the 2007 European Indoor Championships, becoming the first runner, male or female, to win both events at the same championships. She had been one of the most consistent middle-distance runners in Europe throughout the 1990s, and finished fifth and sixth in back-to-back Olympic 1500 m finals in 2000 and 2004.
As an 18-year old, Chojecka won the 1500 m at the 1995 European Under-20 Championships. She placed second in the event at the 1997 European U23 Championships and took gold two years later. As of 2022 Chojecka held eight Polish national records in distances ranging from 1000 to 5000 metres (1000 m indoor, 1500 m out and indoor, one mile indoor, 2000 m, 3000 m out and indoor and 5000 m). She won five Polish outdoor (1500 m, 5000 m, 10,000 m) and 13 indoor (800 m, 1500 m, 3000 m) titles.
Her husband and former coach is a Gabonese-born runner, Jean-Marc Léandro.
Achievements Personal bests 800 metres – 1:59.97 (Nuremberg 1999) 800 metres indoor – 1:59.99 (Birmingham 1999) 1000 metres – 2:42.89 (Sopot 1994) 1000 metres indoor – 2:36.97 (Liévin 2003) 1500 metres – 3:59.22 (Oslo 2000) 1500 metres indoor – 4:03.58 (Birmingham 2003) One mile – 4:25.18 (Lausanne 1998) One mile indoor – 4:24.44 (Stuttgart 2000) 2000 metres – 5:38.44 (Brussels 2009) 3000 metres – 8:31.69 (Brussels 2002) 3000 metres indoor – 8:38.21 (Stuttgart 2007) 5000 metres – 15:04.88 (Berlin 2002) 10,000 metres – 32:55.10 (Warsaw 2007)
National titles Polish Athletics Championships 1500 m: 1999, 2000, 2002 5000 m: 2011 10,000 m: 2007 Polish Indoor Athletics Championships 800 m: 1999, 2004 1500 m: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2009 3000 m: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007
International competitions 1994World Junior ChampionshipsLisbon, Portugal7th1500 m4:18.701995European Junior ChampionshipsNyíregyháza, Hungary1st1500 m4:17.291996World Junior ChampionshipsSydney, Australia5th1500 m4:11.361997World Indoor ChampionshipsParis, France3rd1500 m4:06.25European U23 ChampionshipsTurku, Finland2nd1500 m4:14.70UniversiadeCatania, Italy3rd1500 m4:12.381998European Indoor ChampionshipsValencia, Spain2nd1500 m4:14.93European ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary6th1500 m4:15.001999World Indoor ChampionshipsMaebashi, Japan3rd1500 m4:05.86European U23 ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden1st1500 m4:07.86World ChampionshipsSeville, Spain9th1500 m4:05.552000European Indoor ChampionshipsGhent, Belgium –1500 mDNF2nd3000 m8:42.42Olympic GamesSydney, Australia5th1500 m4:06.422001World ChampionshipsEdmonton, Canada5th1500 m4:06.70Goodwill GamesBrisbane, Australia4thMile4:39.962002European ChampionshipsMunich, Germany9th1500 m4:10.562003World Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom10th (h)1500 m4:10.512004World Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary8th1500 m4:10.32Olympic GamesAthens, Greece6th1500 m3:59.27World Athletics FinalMonte Carlo, Monaco7th1500 m4:06.622nd3000 m8:39.162005European Indoor ChampionshipsMadrid, Spain1st3000 m8:43.762006World Indoor ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia3rd3000 m8:42.59European ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden5th1500 m4:01.43World Athletics FinalStuttgart, Germany6th1500 m4:07.20World CupAthens, Greece5th1500 m4:06.522nd3000 m8:39.692007European Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom1st1500 m4:05.131st3000 m8:43.25World ChampionshipsOsaka, Japan8th1500 m4:08.642008Olympic GamesBeijing, China31st (h)1500 m4:19.572009European Indoor ChampionshipsTurin, Italy6th1500 m4:15.90–3000 mDNFWorld ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany7th1500 m4:07.172010World Indoor ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar11th3000 m9:07.80European ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain –5000 mDNF2011European Indoor ChampionshipsParis, France2nd3000 m8:58.302012World Indoor ChampionshipsIstanbul, Turkey6th3000 m8:56.86European ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland25th (h)1500 m4:20.66
See also Polish records in athletics
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