Meda Variakojytė, a 19-year-old figure skater from Kaunas, Lithuania, made history this week at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, becoming the first Lithuanian woman to compete in Olympic figure skating. While she didn’t advance to the final round, her performance on Tuesday, February 17th, marked a significant milestone for the nation’s winter sports program and showcased her potential on the world stage. The competition, held at the Olympic Ice Arena, saw Variakojytė finish 27th overall after the short program, just 1.77 points shy of qualifying for the free skate.
Variakojytė’s journey to the Olympics was itself a noteworthy achievement. She secured Lithuania’s Olympic berth with a 24th-place finish at the 2024 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, where 24 Olympic spots were awarded. Sportas.lt reports that she then had to compete against two other Lithuanian skaters – Jogailė Aglinskytė and Aleksandra Golovkina-Dolinskė – in a national selection process to definitively earn the Olympic team spot, a process finalized in December 2025.
A Challenging Draw and a Personal Best
Variakojytė skated third in the short program, immediately following Russian skater Adelia Petrosian, a top contender competing under a neutral flag. Petrosian, coached by the controversial Eteri Tutberidze, delivered a strong performance, scoring 72.89 points and automatically qualifying for the final. Despite the pressure of skating directly after a leading competitor, Variakojytė delivered a solid routine, earning a score of 53.86 points. This represented a personal best for the season, surpassing her previous high of 53.31 points, and coming close to her career record of 54.81 points.
Her program featured a combination of Patrick Watson’s “Je te laisserai des mots” and a piece by the band BAANDIT! titled “Rumination.” The performance allowed her to surpass Bulgarian skater Alexandra Feigin (53.42 points) and Great Britain’s Kristen Spours (45.54 points) in the standings.
Navigating Complexities and a Supportive Team
The road to the Olympics wasn’t without its challenges. Reports indicate that Variakojytė competed without her coach, Raimas Reinsalu, due to a two-year disqualification imposed by the International Skating Union (ISU). The Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LTOK) had suspended Reinsalu’s accreditation following the ISU’s decision, and his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was unsuccessful.
Looking Ahead
Despite not advancing, Variakojytė’s Olympic debut is a landmark moment for Lithuanian figure skating. The 24 skaters with the highest scores from the short program – including Ami Nakai of Japan (78.71 points), Kaori Sakamoto of Japan (77.23 points), and Alysa Liu of the United States (76.59 points) – will compete in the free skate on February 19th. Variakojytė’s performance demonstrates the growing potential of the sport in Lithuania and provides a foundation for future success.
“Oh my God, it was so wonderful when I found out I made it to the final. I can’t understand how I did it. It was possible to do it by just 0.01 points, so of course some luck was needed, but at the same time it is the result of hard perform,” Variakojytė said after qualifying for the Olympics, as reported by lrytas.lt.
The focus now shifts to the free skate competition and the continued development of figure skating within Lithuania. Fans can follow updates on the ISU website for official results and schedules.
Disclaimer: This article provides information about athletic competition and does not offer medical or professional advice.
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