It was another fierce race between two friends in the swimming pool.
When Andrius Šidlauskas surfaced after the second 50 m breaststroke semifinal, he was convinced that he had broken the Lithuanian record, swimming in 27.11 seconds.
Read more Tragic news: A young cyclist died during a race in Portugal
But then the 29-year-old swimmer learned that in the first semifinal held earlier, another Panevėžys native, Aleksas Savickas, had swum even faster – in 27.09 seconds.
Thus, this 23-year-old swimmer, who has been studying in the USA for the past few years, entered his name into Lithuanian swimming history for the first time.
“Yeah, cool, Giedrius Titenis’s record finally fell,” rejoiced A. Savickas.
“That was my record,” corrected A. Šidlauskas, who set the best 50 m breaststroke result in Vilnius in spring (27.15 seconds).
“Oh, it was your record…” blushed A. Savickas.
They hugged before the interview and rejoiced together, not worrying too much about their semifinal placements – A. Savickas shared 11th-12th places with Turkish swimmer Nusratu Allahverdi, and A. Šidlauskas was thirteenth.
- Both Lithuanians did not make it to the final but improved their positions after the heats on Friday morning, when A. Šidlauskas was 16th and A. Savickas 17th (but qualified for the semifinal because one Italian swimmer was removed due to the two-athlete per country quota).
“Very nice, but everything is temporary because we keep pushing each other,” said A. Savickas.
“I was always the only breaststroker in Lithuania, no one to compete with, but now Aleksas is back from America, from the new season we will train together, and both our results will improve because it’s fun to swim with someone you know well. We both want to dedicate ourselves to swimming and show our best versions and check off a box in swimming history,” said A. Šidlauskas.
In a lively interview, they cheerfully talked about the emotions, which were even greater due to another Panevėžys native, Tomas Navikonis, winning a silver medal – the first catch for the Lithuanian swimming team at this European Championship.
– Guys, you again swam very similar results, how do you evaluate them?
A. Šidlauskas: At first, I didn’t see how fast Aleksas swam before me. I said I wouldn’t look on purpose.
Then, after swimming myself, I thought I had broken the Lithuanian record, went to the coach, but he said: “So what if you broke it. Aleksas broke it more before.”
I didn’t quite understand what happened. But look – in the heats I was faster by 0.03 seconds, and now he is faster by 0.02 seconds. It will be motivation to push for the record further.
A. Savickas: My first thought after the finish was: I wonder if Andrius saw that I broke the Lithuanian record. Turns out he didn’t look. But that’s kind of…
Read more Horoscope for August 15: even 6 Zodiac signs will experience long-awaited changes on Assumption Day
A. Šidlauskas: A game.
A. Savickas: 0.02 seconds is such a formality. But I’m very happy that Andrius, who had a tougher start to the championship, recovered and showed peak form. We ended the competition on a very beautiful note.
A. Šidlauskas: What we did is visually nothing. There is something else. Tomas Navikonis, what he did before our start – that was absolute cinema. It gave so many emotions – fantastic.
A. Savickas: Yes, we didn’t even need coffee. We watched Tomas’s swim in the team preparation zone, I was completely frozen, almost fainted. The emotional bomb was such, wow. It couldn’t have been better. Tonight was the peak.
A. Šidlauskas: Hero.
A. Savickas: Yes. Tomas is our hero.
– If you say it’s Tomas Navikonis’s evening – how do you know him as a person and swimmer?
A. Šidlauskas: I don’t know, he used to be quiet, kind of reserved. But now the gentleman returned from America very changed, you know, we can’t shut him up anymore.
A. Savickas: He didn’t talk much, but when you get to know him, he starts talking more with you. We are extremely happy. It’s good for us too, but I’m 10 times happier because of Tomas.
– Did Tomas’s performance before yours affect your swim in any way?
A. Šidlauskas: The tension disappeared. After such a swim, such a finish, I’m not afraid of anything anymore. It means everything in life is possible, everything is achievable. Just do it quietly, like Navikonis likes. He was quiet all his life, and now he exploded.
A. Savickas: Tomas is a very good example. If we look at his career progress, he never gave up, worked with his head down, and now we have what we have. It’s a great inspiration for the young generation.
– And as swimming specialists, what do you think makes Tomas strong in the 200 m freestyle?
A. Šidlauskas: Tall. Very tall (207 cm tall).
A. Savickas: He has all the attributes. I think after the 100 m freestyle event, he sincerely believed for the first time what he can do. And then everything opened up, all energy channels.
Read more Mykolas Alekna, who grabbed the silver, also managed a smile
