31-year-old D. Rapšys has won as many as 18 medals at the World and European Championships, but Lithuania has long lacked another elite male swimmer.
Read more The summer season in Šventoji will conclude with a thunderous biker festival
We can now confidently consider 23-year-old Panevėžys native T. Navikonis, who emerged in second place in the 200-meter freestyle final in Paris and shone with a silver medal.
“During the first two days, I really didn’t understand how it all happened, how it turned out. Now I understand what we did, and I’m happy,” said the tall (207 cm) swimmer, who landed in Vilnius on Monday afternoon together with the rest of the Lithuanian swimming team.
Two years ago, T. Navikonis did not reach the final of the European Championship in either the 100 or 200 m distances, although he was very close – he took 9th and 10th places. However, many of the best continental swimmers, who were preparing for the Olympic Games held just a month later, did not participate in the competition at that time.
Last year he fell ill during the most important start, so many were surprised by T. Navikonis’s flash in Paris.
However, according to him, this is the result of two years of work.
“I talked with the coach, and he said he believed all the time, but last year I didn’t really have a normal start and didn’t show what I could do in Singapore (World Championship – ed.), because I got sick. So this is really two years of work combined into one start, and it showed what I can fully reveal,” explained the Panevėžys native.
– Does the appetite grow after the silver, and will you start thinking about a higher quality medal – gold?
– I don’t think about medals at all, more about the time, how to achieve a better one, the Lithuanian record, and with records come medals.
Read more BNS Sprint: Monday events in brief
– Do you prefer swimming in a long or short pool? The short course (25 m) World Championship will be held in December.
– At the beginning of the season, short course might be more fun, more fun to splash around with everyone, but at the end of the season the focus is on the long course, and I do quite well there too.
– What are your future goals – the World Championship and the Olympic Games?
– Of course, the final point is the Olympics – to swim well in the final. But now the eyes are on Budapest, next year’s World Championship. We will try to achieve something again with the team.
– What are your rest plans?
– I have no rest plans, the rest will be short. I’m going back to America again, everything returns to routine.
– Have you already “christened” the medal?
– No, no, we don’t celebrate with the Lithuanian team, very modestly.
– Are the conditions at Ohio University what you expected? Not all students have success stories.
– I think the conditions we have at Ohio State University are perfect for me. The gym – whatever you want, if you need something – the coach buys it immediately, there is money, the pool is ideal – 10 or 20 lanes, as many as you want.
– And there is no shortage of athletes either?
– Yes, there are more than 30 in the team, so there is always someone to train with. Even on your best day, there will be someone next to you who will stick to you and compete all day.
Read more The first «Ferrari» electric car sold at auction for a record amount
