Sports in Lithuania
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List of most popular sports in Lithuania:
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Basketball
Basketball has always been the most popular sport in Lithuania. A few facts:
- Lithuanian basketball team has won Europe Championship in 1937, 1939, 2003. Won 2nd place in 1995 (Athens).
- Junior basketball team (under 19 years of age) has won European Championship in 2003 and took 2nd place in World Championship in the same year.
- Europe Championship in 1939 was held in Lithuania.
- "Žalgiris" Kaunas has won Europe cup in 1998 and Euroleague in 1999.
- "Lietuvos Rytas" Vilnius has won ULEB Cup in 2005.
- Bronze medal winners in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics. Won 4th place in 2004 Summer Olympics.
- Several Lithuanian basketball players have successfully played in the NBA:
- Arvydas Sabonis (Portland Trail Blazers, 1995-2001, 2002-03)
- Sarunas Marciulionis (Golden State Warriors and other teams, 1989-1997)
- Zydrunas Ilgauskas (still playing for Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Darius Songaila (playing for Sacramento Kings from 2003)
- Many other Lithuanians are starring in European leagues, among them:
- Sarunas Jasikevicius (playing for reigning Euroleague champions Maccabi Tel-Aviv)
- Arvydas Macijauskas (playing for Spain champions Vitoria Tau Ceramica)
- Currently Lithuania is 6th in the FIBA men's world ranking.
Soccer
Lithuania does not have a strong soccer team, but there are individual players playing in strong European football leagues.
Also, Lithuanians, like the rest of the Europe do like to watch UEFA Champions League, World Championships and other world class football tournaments.
Athletics
Lithuanian athletes have won some medals in the Olympics and European/World championships.
Cycling
Lietuves0206_273.jpg
There are several Lithuanian cyclists with high achievements in prestigious cycling tours and in World championships. Especially noteworthy are the achievements of Lithuanian women cyclists.
Lithuanian women cyclists made their mark on the international scene very soon after Lithuania became an independent state. Leading the way in this were, among others, Zita Urbonaite and Diana Cepeliene, the latter of whom scored a 3rd place finish (overall GC) in the strong Women's Challenge in the Summer of 1991.
Since then, among the most outstanding Lithuanian cyclists are the cycling twins Jolanta and Rasa Polikeviciute (the latter of whom was the World Road Race Champion for 2001), Edita Pucinskaite (1999 World Road Race Champion), and Diana Ziliute (1994 World Junior Road Race Champion, 1998 World Road Race Champion, and 2000 Olympic Games Road Race bronze medalist).
There is also a strong program of promotion of cycling at the junior level for girls in Lithuania culminating in an annual international race for girls in Panevezys. A number of young Lithuanian riders have emerged from this program, led by Modesta Vzesniauskaite who has already risen to the point where she is among the top riders in the world.
External Links
- Lithuanian Olympic Committee (http://www.losc.lt), in LIthuanian
- Lithuanian Cycling Federation (http://www.ldsf.lt), in Lithuanian