2021 LITHUANIAN WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS
- February 18 – February 20, 2021
- Klaipėda, Lithuania
- Long Course Meter (LCM)
- Entries / Results Page
- Preview
- Day 1 Prelims Live Stream
- Day 1 Finals Live Stream | Day 1 Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Live Stream
- Day 2 Finals Live Stream | Day 2 Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Live Stream
- Day 3 Finals Live Stream
One final day of racing went down at the 2021 Lithuanian Winter Championships as many of the nation’s leading swimmers got their first chances at high-level racing this year.
Among those having a solid start to their 2021 season has been 13-year-old Sylvia Statkevičius. Statkevičius picked up her fourth individual win of the meet in the 400 freestyle, adding to her 100, 200, and 800 freestyle titles from earlier in the meet. Statkevičius notched a 4:26.62 victory to lower her own 14 and under age group record of 4:28.82 in December 2020. That her second age group record of the meet, having previously set a new 200 mark of 2:06.13.
On the 400 freestyle podium, Statkevičius was joined by Austė Backevičiūtė with a 4:38.24 and Vytė Gelažytė with a 4:39.00.
Another race to watch on day 3 of the meet was the men’s 200 breaststroke. Andrius Šidlauskas and Giedrius Titenis previously went head to head in both the 50 and 100 breaststrokes with Šidlauskas winning the former and Titenis taking the latter. In the 200, Šidlauskas won the 2 out of 3, posting a 2:14.15 for the victory. That was just 0.41 seconds faster than Titenis’ second-place time of 2:14.66. Both were a decent margin off Titenis’ 2009 Lithuanian record in the event of 2:07.80 and Šidlauskas’ best time of 2:09.71 from 2018.
The duo has been an interesting one to watch recently as they lead the Lithuanian breaststroke events. Titenis has been racing for the country since the 2007 World Championships, including the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games. Šidlauskas on the other hand entered the scene at Rio 2016 and joined Titenis at the World Championships in 2017. Both have qualified to swim at the 2020 Olympics this summer in the 100 breaststroke.
In the women’s 200 breaststroke, Kotryna, Teterevkova made it 3-for-3 in the breaststroke events by claiming the 200 titles with a 2:29.34. That was a few seconds off what she swam in the summer of 2018 when she hit her PB of 2:26.97 at the European Junior Swimming Championships. Her third individual breaststroke podium of the night was shared by Ieva Evaltaitė’s 2:41.30 for silver and Aušrinė Bakutytė’s 2:42.30 for bronze.
Finishing fourth in the final was Karilė Ališauskaitė who hit a 2:44.09 in the event for a new 12 & under age group record, improving upon Urte, Kazakeviciute’s mark of 2:44.49 from back in 2006.
In the women’s 50 freestyle, Smiltė Plytnykaitė took the crown with a 26.69, ahead of Laura Šliburytė’s 27.20 and Gabija Gailušytė’s 27.42.
Lithuanian record-holders Simonas Bilis and Deividas Margevičius each won their event tonight, Bilis the 50 freestyle, and Margevičius the 100 butterfly. Bilis was a 22.83 in the 50 which is just over a second slower than his 2018 national record of 21.70. Margevičius on the other hand swam a 53.22 to win the event, out-touching Danas Rapsys‘ 53.73. That swim for Margevičius hovered above his NR of 52.55 from 2019.