Virgilijus Alekna competing at the 2006 World Cup (© Getty Images)
Double Olympic, World and European Discus Throw champion Virgilijus Alekna and Europe U23 100m champion Lina Grincikaite were named Lithuania’s Athletes of the Year for 2009.
In September, the 37-year-old Alekna won the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki and was 4th at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. Alekna, whose 73.88m career best from 2000 ranks him No. 2 all-time, had a 69.59m best in 2009, also ranking him second this season.
Grincikaite, the 22-year-old Beijing Olympic semi-finalist and Europe Indoor championships finalist, won the Europe U23 championships in Kaunas as well as the World University Games crown in the 100m. She clocked an 11.31 PB to win the latter.
Marathoner Živile Balciunaite finishing second in the women’s voting and race walker Kristina Saltanovic third. Balciunaite was 19th in World championships marathon in Berlin (2:31.06) and seventh at the Yokohama Marathon, while Saltanovic finished eight in the World championships 20Km in 1:31.23.
Sprinter Rytis Sakalauskas, who was fourth in the 100m at the European U23s finished second in the men’s balloting, and race walker Donatas Škarnulis, who finished 14th in the World championships 50Km, third.
The Athletes of the Year were once again selected after a 10 year break, a cooperative effort between the Lithuanian Athletics Federation and news channel 15min.lt.
The winners will receive their awards during a gala ceremony in Vilnius on 9 December.
Henrikas Pesliakas for the IAAF
In September, the 37-year-old Alekna won the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki and was 4th at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. Alekna, whose 73.88m career best from 2000 ranks him No. 2 all-time, had a 69.59m best in 2009, also ranking him second this season.
Grincikaite, the 22-year-old Beijing Olympic semi-finalist and Europe Indoor championships finalist, won the Europe U23 championships in Kaunas as well as the World University Games crown in the 100m. She clocked an 11.31 PB to win the latter.
Marathoner Živile Balciunaite finishing second in the women’s voting and race walker Kristina Saltanovic third. Balciunaite was 19th in World championships marathon in Berlin (2:31.06) and seventh at the Yokohama Marathon, while Saltanovic finished eight in the World championships 20Km in 1:31.23.
Sprinter Rytis Sakalauskas, who was fourth in the 100m at the European U23s finished second in the men’s balloting, and race walker Donatas Škarnulis, who finished 14th in the World championships 50Km, third.
The Athletes of the Year were once again selected after a 10 year break, a cooperative effort between the Lithuanian Athletics Federation and news channel 15min.lt.
The winners will receive their awards during a gala ceremony in Vilnius on 9 December.
Henrikas Pesliakas for the IAAF
