Greta Gataveckaite and Ieva Jaceviciute each set national age records for Lithuania to open up the Lithuanian Swimming Championships.
Gataveckaite got her record in the 400 freestyle, where she finished third overall. Her 4:30.68 is a new record for 15-and-unders in the nation.
That event win went to Israel’s Martina Marks in 4:25.14, with another Israeli second in 4:30.29. That left Gataveckaite, born in 2000, as the top Lithuanian finisher.
It would be the same situation in the women’s 400 IM, where Jaceviciute took second behind Israel’s Noa Saar. Saar went 4:59.61 to take five seconds off the meet record, while Jaceviciute was 5:07.97 for second place and a new national age record for both 15-and-unders and 17-and-unders, according to the Lithuanian Swimming Federation’s summary.
Two more meet records went down, and one, interestingly enough, was in the women’s 50 breast.
Lithuania boasts the world’s best sprint breaststroker in Ruta Meilutyte, but the world record-holder doesn’t actually own the meet record at the Lithuanian Swimming Championships. That’s likely because Meilutyte trains out of Great Britain and does most of her competing from there as well. That’s also likely why she isn’t competing in her home nation this week.
In her absence, 2000-born Agne Seleikaite won the 50 breast, getting a tenth under the old meet record with a 32.41.
The women’s 4×100 free relay meet record also fell, to Kauno PM’s team. Vaiva Gimbutyte, Bena Sarapaite, Beatrice Kanapienyte and Diana Jaruseviciute wetn 3:58.58 to smash the old record. Israel’s top team was also under the record at 3:58.73. Jaruseviciute had the field’s best split with a 58.56, anchoring her team to victory and the record.
There were a couple more great battles worth pointing out on day 1:
- Eva Gliozeryte touched out Jaruseviciute for the 50 free title by just .01 on the women’s side. Gliozeryte was 26.63, Jaruseviciute 26.64.
- The men’s 100 fly was also a close one, with Deividas Margevicius going 54.30 to just beat Tadas Duskinas by two tenths.
- It wasn’t a close race in the men’s 200 free, but Povilas Strazdas broke 1:50, going 1:49.93 for one of the better performances of the day.