In L. Šermukšnis’s short career – already 5 Lithuanian champion titles and a national record in the 4×400 m relay. Last weekend at the Baltic Athletics Championship held in Riga (Latvia), Martas Skrabulis’s protégé won gold and improved his personal record in the 400 m hurdles, completing the distance in 51.13 seconds. This is only 0.74 seconds slower than the Lithuanian record held by Silvestras Guoga for 14 years.
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“I don’t want to speak prematurely, but the initial goal is the Lithuanian record, I would like to be the first Lithuanian to run under 50 seconds in the hurdles event. I want to improve that goal, and the highest aim in this Olympic period is the Los Angeles Olympic Games,” L. Šermukšnis stated his ambitions.
Lukas’s story is special because he is one of the few high-performance athletes who completed the mandatory 9-month military service. The skills acquired during service are useful to the athlete in achieving heights in sports.
“I started the service immediately after school, in 2020-2021. I was always inclined towards the military, participated in the Riflemen’s Union activities, and wanted to join the Lithuanian Military Academy. There was no thought of avoiding military service or looking for ways to bypass it,” L. Šermukšnis said.
Even while performing the mandatory 9-month military service, the Lithuanian army provides opportunities for professional athletes to participate in competitions and training camps. However, L. Šermukšnis did not take advantage of this exception because the Covid-19 pandemic was raging during his service.
“At that time, my athletics career stopped because I couldn’t go to competitions due to the pandemic. The army itself encouraged sports from the very first days, physical training sessions were held, and even in free time, we would go to the gym with athletes from other sports and train for several hours a day, adapting something according to our sport. The training process did not stop throughout the service,” L. Šermukšnis said.
The skills acquired in the army were applied by the Lithuanian national team member representing the sports club “Cosma” in his athletics career, and the sports career also helped in military service.
“Sports helped me in military service because it requires a lot of strength, endurance, and good psychological preparation, which I had from sports. And the army helped by
providing discipline. I was not a team player before, but the army taught me that teamwork is very important, and, for example, the emotion I get now during the relay race is close to the army and teamwork,” the titled athlete listed the advantages of service.
After completing the mandatory military service, L. Šermukšnis continued his military path in the National Defence Volunteer Forces. The athlete continues to strive for heights in sports and even had a goal this year to qualify with the men’s 4×400 m relay team for the European Championship.
“I have been in the army for six years now, during which I managed to rise to the rank of sergeant. I am a squad leader, participate in exercises, perform additional tasks such as TMU (peacetime tasks – editor’s note), various duties, and so on; this continuity remains, and this activity is included in my daily schedule. There are no conflicts with sports; on the contrary, good physical preparation and professional sports are encouraged in the army,” L. Šermukšnis said.
In June this year, at the Lithuanian Athletics Federation (LLAF) Cup competition held in Palanga, the Lithuanian army volunteer soldier made history by breaking the national record with the 4×400 m relay team – the quartet ran the distance in 3 minutes 8.75 seconds.
“Personally, it is a great honor for me to run with the team. The work we do is good, purposeful, and helps achieve goals. The team goal to go to the European Championship was set this year, but injuries stopped us and we lacked preparation. I have a goal not only to bring the individual event to the highest-level competitions but also the same relay because it is a team event, and it is an emotion that you do not experience anywhere else,” L. Šermukšnis smiled.
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