In a dramatic finale, the young Lithuanian athlete achieved a personal best – 5.00/55/12.00. The same result was recorded by the Polish representative Maksymilian Sleszynski, but the fate of the silver and bronze medals was decided by the earlier stage of the competition – the semifinals. In it, the Polish athlete was first, and V. Auštras took fourth place.
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This is the first medal in the history of Lithuanian water skiing at the European Championship and one of the brightest achievements of young water skiers from the Baltic countries.
One final, two identical results, and a personal record
V. Auštras fought hard to reach the final. In the semifinals among 31 participants, he took fourth place and made it into the top 12 strongest U14 boys’ slalom athletes.
However, the most important start of the season was reserved for the final by the Lithuanian athlete.
V. Auštras achieved a 5.00/55/12.00 result – the best of his career. The same result was repeated by M. Sleszynski. Since the final results were identical, the final placement was determined by the semifinal performances.
In the semifinals, the Pole, who achieved a 1.50/55/11.25 result, was first, and V. Auštras with a result of 3.00/55/12.00 took fourth place. Therefore, the Polish athlete received silver, and the Lithuanian representative – bronze.
U14 boys’ slalom prize winners:
1st place – Emil Maumy (France) – 2.00/55/11.25
2nd place – Maksymilian Sleszynski (Poland) – 5.00/55/12.00
3rd place – Vincentas Auštras (Lithuania) – 5.00/55/12.00, personal record
Lithuanian athlete – among the European water skiing elite
V. Auštras came to the championship already having international experience. Last year, he reached the final and took sixth place at the European and African youth championship. This year – another step forward and a place on the winners’ podium.
This is one of the highest achievements of Lithuanian and generally Baltic water skiers in the history of age group European championships of this century.
Until now, the Baltic countries had one gold medal at this level of competition – in 2015, a Latvian athlete became the champion in the U14 girls’ category. At that time, boys from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia had not yet won prize places at the European and African youth championships.
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Therefore, V. Auštras’s bronze is not only a personal achievement of the young athlete but also a significant result in the history of water skiing in the entire Baltic region.
A sport where every buoy is decided at 55 km/h
Water skiing slalom is one of the most technical and skill-demanding sports disciplines. The athlete, pulled by a boat, crosses the course at high speed and rounds six buoys. After each successful run, the rope is shortened, making the course increasingly difficult to complete.
In the U14 boys’ group, athletes ski at 55 km/h. V. Auštras’s final result of 5.00/55/12.00 means that with a 12-meter rope, he rounded five out of six buoys.
It is precisely in such a discipline, where the result can be decided by just one additional buoy rounded, that the young Lithuanian athlete made it among the strongest U14 slalom athletes in Europe and Africa.
A non-Olympic sport where Lithuanians can be among the strongest
V. Auštras’s result once again draws attention to the achievements of Lithuanian athletes beyond the major Olympic sports.
“Such results show that Lithuanian athletes can compete with the strongest representatives of Europe and Africa even in sports that do not have such great recognition in Lithuania. Vincentas’s path in this championship – from fourth place in the semifinals to a bronze medal and a personal record in the final – is a great example of how much consistent work, concentration, and the ability to show your best result at the most important moment can mean,” says G. Skrabulytė, head of the Water Skiing Department of the Lithuanian Water Skiing and Wakeboarding Federation.
V. Auštras has already proven that he can reach the final of the European Championship. Now he has taken another important step – with a personal record, he won the first Lithuanian water skiing medal at such a high-level competition.
The 2026 IWWF European and African Youth Championship (U14 and U17) took place from August 17–23 at Lake Stratos, Greece. The championship featured the strongest U14 and U17 age group water skiers from European and African countries.
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