2024-07-31 16:20:17
The boys covered the distance in the qualifying competition in 7 minutes. 16.61 sec. and took 15th place overall, ahead of the Swiss. It’s a pity, but such a result was not enough to qualify for the final swimming (the top eight).
“The best thing was that we were not the last,” the swimmers smiled after the finish.
It’s true that a somewhat different foursome picked the ticket for Lithuania to the Olympic Games – instead of A. Šidlauskas, Kristupas Trepočka won the right to compete in the Olympics, but at the beginning of July, the International Water Sports Association “World Aquatics” announced unexpected news – the organization did not allow three swimmers to compete due to the reduced number of quotas , who have not fulfilled the Olympic standards in individual competitions.
So the number was reduced to two, and K. Trepočka became the “rejected”, he was replaced in the competition by A. Šidlauskas, who generally specializes in a completely different area of swimming – breaststroke.
Then the Lithuanian Water Sports Association (“LTU Aquatics”) applied to “World Aquatics” with a request to allow the team with the strongest composition to participate in the Olympic Games, taking into account Olympic and sports principles. However, the World Water Sports Organization responded in the negative.
How much earlier for the portal LRT.lt A. Šidlauskas had hinted that maybe in this relay he would swim not crawl style, but his main style – breaststroke. This is how the Panevėžys spends most of his preparation time while swimming.
According to the swimmer, this would have been a kind of protest against the decision of World Aquatics, which disappointed the entire Lithuanian swimming community.
During the selection, the audience’s eyes were directed to the first track and to A. Šidlauskas – what decision will the Panevezys make? The swimmer decided to swim backstroke, but he seriously opposed the competitors only in the first 100 meters of the distance.
“Each of us gave our all. I have nothing to do with this team, but there was such a rule, I had to swim. I gave everything I could in swimming. I am not an expert in backstroke, especially in the 200m distance, it was such a cosmic swim. A little bit of a feeling of shame, seeing when all the elite athletes are swimming 200 m, they all pass by the side, a shameful feeling”, said A. Šidlauskas, who was not in his sled.
An hour before the swim, the national team guide D. Rapšys said that his colleague would have to “drive the bottom”. Did he succeed?
“It drove the bottom, really,” laughed the swimmer, he continued later. – It was very difficult to swim, but when Andrius swam, he had a smile on his face, I couldn’t be serious during the whole distance, he really swam well.”
The Lithuanian freestyle swimming team came to the Olympic Games as European champions – the Lithuanian foursome covered the distance in 7 minutes at the championships held in Belgrade in June. 8.04 sec. and had no equal.
It is symbolic – such a result would have been enough for the swimmers to qualify for the finals.
“If we had known that we would be sailing with the main composition, otherwise we would have put together a plan, now it was just to pass… It is as it is,” added D. Rapšys.
If it was not the first Olympic start in their careers for 29-year-old D.Rapšius and 27-year-old A.Šidlauskas, their teammates 19-year-old T.Navikonis and 21-year-old T.Lukminas had their first experience at the Olympic Games on Tuesday morning.
“Super debut”, said T. Navikonis.
His namesake was also happy with the Olympic experience: “I personally enjoyed it a lot, it would have been interesting to have participated with the most capable team, but it is very good to know that we gave everything, covered all the distances, we should be happy that we managed to participate.” It’s a very good feeling.”
We remind you that D. Rapšys, who participated in the relay, jumped into the Olympic pool for the second time in the Tuesday morning program – just a few hours before this relay swim, he also competed in the 100 m freestyle individual qualifying competition. In them, the swimmer remained in twentieth place.
With this swim, the performances of the Lithuanian men’s swimming team at the Paris Olympic Games ended. Kotryna Teterevkova, who will start on Wednesday, will “close” the affairs of the Lithuanian national team. And what are the guys’ plans?
“We want to see basketball, an elite star team, maybe we will succeed, maybe not, but it would be interesting to see.
Another colleague of ours, Kotryna, will be swimming. We’ll support her, we’ll be sick, we’ll see if she can make another final,” reasoned the swimmers.
The final of the 200 m freestyle relay of four will be held on Tuesday at 11 p.m. 1 min. Lithuanian time.
The Paris Olympic Games take place from July 26 to August 11, and you can follow their progress and the hottest comments from athletes lrytas.lt portal.
2024-07-31 16:20:17