Both Rokiškės are in the finals
This year, the championship was held in the Lithuanian Sports Center complex “Druskininkai”. The 25-meter eight-lane swimming pool of this city is modern and modern. Parents who accompanied their children told “Gimtajam…” that they felt like they were at an international competition here, everything is comfortable, thought out to the last detail, perfectly adapted even for the disabled
Girls aged 12-13 and boys aged 13-14 had the right to participate in the championship. Only two representatives of Rokiškis – Irūna Zelenkaitė and Julius Galvydis – might go to the championship together with the Aukštaitija team. In Druskininkai, the competition was held in a high-level competition format, when athletes enter the final stages following passing the selections. Both players from Rokiškės passed the selections on both the first and second day and competed in the A and B finals on both days.
Iruna won the 50 m freestyle in 31.16 and 31.52 seconds. and was eleventh and fifteenth (seventh in the B final). She finished eighth in the 100-meter breaststroke A final – her time was 1:25.04 min.; 200 m breaststroke – also in the same position – 3:05.59 min.
The relays were the most successful for Iruna. The fourth place was won in the 4 x 100 m medley with the girls of the Aukštaitija team. The woman from Roki beat her breaststroke section in 1:25.09 min. and contributed significantly to the team’s victory. The seventh place was won in the 4 x 100 m freestyle relay. Iruna’s time – 1:12.52 min.
Juli’s 200 m breaststroke was extremely successful – first place in the B final (2:56.71 min.) and ninth overall. In the B final of the 100 m breaststroke, the representative of our sports center was fifth and thirteenth overall – 1:20.65 min. Julius won the 50 m freestyle in 28.98 seconds.
The Aukštaitija team, assembled from swimmers from small towns, was able to seriously oppose the country’s young swimming talents and won a high eighth place out of 18 teams. Aukštaitija’s competitors are Kaunas, Vilnius, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Marijampole, Elektrėnai, Alytus, Varėna.
We have mass – craftsmanship is dying
The Aukštaitija team was assembled by Eugenijus RAKITINAS (photo), a blacksmith of swimming talents, coach, professional swimmer, member of the Lithuanian Swimming Federation, head of the Aukštaitija Swimming-Triathlon Academy (photo), currently training the swimmers of Ignalina. His view on the development of young talents in the province today is critical and direct, but therefore also encouraging.
– The children of Rokiškis, Šiauliai One Club, Ignalina, Anykščiai joined the Aukštaitija team. What is the purpose of such an idea?
– The small towns are dying in terms of excellence and are far behind the big ones, and if this continues, we probably won’t go much higher than the children’s championship. It was the youth championship in Druskininkai that showed me that I was right: the first six teams are the great sports centers, the greats of Lithuanian swimming – Kaunas, Vilnius swimming schools, Klaipėda, Šiauliai Delfinas, Panevėžys Žemyna, Kaunas Startas. All the others cannot challenge them: if we take one or two children to the competition, then, firstly, we are not competitors in the team standings, and secondly, the children and coaches are very time through motivation. Therefore, when we unite, we can challenge in the team standings and motivate children and coaches to assemble a strong team that might compete.
My idea is to cooperate in the future. For those who agreed to join the Aukštaitija team – coaches, parents, children – I think it was a great celebration and a great impression to start for a competitive team, compete in relays, collect a lot of points and challenge the greats.
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