Lithuanian bodybuilding celebrates its 45th anniversary

On October 30, Lithuanian bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts will celebrate the 45th anniversary of this sport in our country with the 20th anniversary competition of the Lithuanian Cup in Marijampole. Lithuanian bodybuilders, who survived nearly 15 years of bans, have won more than one world and European title in the past two decades.

The results left a clear mark

The pinnacle of professional bodybuilding is the “Olympia” tournament, which has been held annually since 1965. Just overcoming the selection barriers and entering it is an extraordinary achievement and challenge. However, Lithuanian representatives managed to jump higher: Natalija Murnikovienė (1995 and 1996) and Živilė Raudonienė (2008), who won 3rd place in this tournament, as well as Inga Neverauskaitė, who won 13th place in the 2007 tournament, brought new colors to the sport’s elite – professional competitions.

European and world champions Oleg Žuras, Rolandas Pocius, Alina Čepurnienė, world champions Ingrida Blagušauskaitė, Ričardas Murnikovas paired with N.Murnikoviene, European champions Rolandas Bučinskas, Elena Stasiukynienė paired with Darius Minkevičius proved that Lithuanian bodybuilders have serious international ambitions and potential.

He came to Lithuania from Poland

The general secretary of the Lithuanian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, Arūnas Petraitis, told “Sporto žimu” that the emergence and spread of bodybuilding in Lithuania was definitely influenced by neighboring Poland in 1959. the world weightlifting championship of the FIHC (then International Federation of Weightlifting and Bodybuilding), whose participants also competed in the “Mr.Universe” competition for bodybuilders.

Viktoras Augustinas from Kaunas is called the father of Lithuanian bodybuilding. V. Augustinas, who attended rowing training, became interested in self-made weightlifting as did fellow rower Elmė Uzdonas, a friend of the academic rowing boat. They were later joined by the radio factory locksmith Vytautas Jankauskas, who offered his practice space, students of the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute (KPI) and other Kaunas residents.

In the autumn of 1964 the first bodybuilding club “Jaunystė” was founded in Lithuania and registered in Kaunas under the 10th internal board. The exercises were led by Juozas Jusevičius, assisted by KPI graduate Paulius Tarvydas and V. Jankauskas. The new sport became so popular that people from many parts of the Soviet Union came to the “Jaunystės” club for consultations. Bodybuilding clubs were also founded in Vilnius, Kėdainai, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Ukmerge, Palanga, Panevėžys, Jonava, Telšiai.

Debut of the athletes

in 1965, on May 23, during the spring festival of Kaunas high school students, the first bodybuilding competition took place in the Kaunas lagoon courtyard. Rytis Macijauskas, a 3rd year student of the KPI Construction Faculty, became the overall winner.

The first official Lithuanian championship in athletic gymnastics (as bodybuilding was then called) took place in 1966. May 29 In the palace “Statybininko” in Vilnius. R. Macijauskas from Kaunas won the first height category, Klemens Alšauskas from Kaunas won the second and Anatolijus Pricas from Vilnius the third.

Among the judges of the competition was a famous graphic designer, winner of state prizes of the USSR and the Lithuanian SSR, and an equally famous athlete, swimmer, water polo player and enthusiast of many other sports, Stasys Krasauskas.

in 1968 In the autumn the Lithuanian championship came to Panevėžys, in September of the same year the tournament for the “Amber” cup was organized in Klaipėda. At the end of 1968 the competition took place in Šiauliai.

Year of insurance

The first international baptism of Lithuanian bodybuilders – in 1968. on February 25, when a match between the host clubs “Herkules” and Kaunas “Ažuolo” took place in Warsaw (Poland). The hosts were superior in this. On April 21 of the same year the Poles returned to visit. This competition held in Kaunas was the first international bodybuilding event in the entire USSR. in 1971 Czechoslovakian bodybuilders already competed in Kaunas.

However, after that there were almost 15 years of bans and isolation – this is how sports officials of the USSR decided to eradicate the “Western sports bacillus”. It is true that in Lithuania the competitions took place, even if unofficially, in Kaunas, Kėdainiai, Klaipėda.

The leaders of the resistance – Pranas Murauskas of Vilnius, Vladas Kapcevičius, Saulius Misevičius of Kaunas – achieved victories against the seemingly invincible Olev Anus of Estonia or Vladimir Dubinin of Russia.

When bodybuilding was officially recognized in 1987, Lithuanian athletes became the winners of the first USSR competition, thus once again confirming the name of the leaders of this sport. The winners of the USSR Cup in 1988 were S. Misevičius and Viktoras Jucys (also the overall winner), and in 1989 – Raimundas Petraitis. in 1989 At the 1st official USSR championship, 3 Lithuanians also won gold: R.Petraitis, Ričardas Petrauskas and Vincas Dubickas, who also became the overall winner.

Results of Lithuanian bodybuilders

In professional tournaments “Olympia”.

Bronze Natalija Murnikovienė (Klaipėda, 1995 and 1996), Živilė Raudoniene (Kaunas, 2008)

in the world championships

Gold Natalija Murnikovienė (Klaipėda, over 57 kg and pairs competition, 1994), Ričardas Murnikovas (Klaipėda, pairs competition, 1994), Inga Neverauskaitė (Šiauliai, body fitness, over 164 cm, 2003), Oleg Žuras (Vilnius, over 90 kg and overall, 2004), Alina Čepurnienė (Vilnius, up to 57 kg, 2006), Rolandas Pocius (Mažeikiai, over 100 kg, 2007), Ingrida Blagušauskaitė (Marijampole, up to 168 cm, 2008)

Silver Živilė Raudoniene (Kaunas, body fitness, up to 164 cm, 2003 and 2005), Rolandas Pocius (Mažeikia, over 90 kg, 2004 and 2006)

Bronze Rolandas Pocius (Mažeikiai, over 90 kg, 2001), Živilė Raudonienė (Kaunas, up to 164 cm, 2004), Elena Stasiukynienė (Marijampole, over 55 kg, 2009)

World Games

Gold Oleg Žuras (Vilnius, over 80 kg, 2001)

Silver Alina Čepurnienė (Vilnius, 2009)

Bronze Oleg Žuras (Vilnius, over 90 kg, 1997), Semionas Berkovičius (Vilnius, up to 85 kg, 2005)

European championships

Gold Natalija Murnikovienė (Klaipėda, over 57 kg, 1993), Oleg Žuras (Vilnius, 90 kg, 1993), Rolandas Bučinskas (Šiauliai, over 90 kg, 1996), Rolandas Pocius (Mažeikia, over 90 kg, 2001), Inga Neverauskaitė (Šiauliai, body fitness, over 164 cm and absolute, 2003), Živilė Raudonienė (Kaunas, body fitness, up to 164 cm, 2003), Alina Čepurnienė (Vilnius, up to 57 kg, 2006), Elena Stasiukynienė and Darius Minkevičius (Marijampolė, mixed couples, 2008)

Silver Jevgenijus Gorelikas (Vilnius, 65 kg, 1997), Rolandas Pocius (Mažeikiai, over 90 kg, 1999), Semionas Berkovičius (Vilnius, 75 kg, 2000), Oleg Žuras (Vilnius, over 90 kg, 2000), Živile Raudonienė (Kaunas, body fitness, up to 164 cm, 2006)

Bronze Oleg Žuras (Vilnius, 90 kg, 1992 and over 90 kg, 2001), Rolandas Pocius (Mažeikiai, over 90 kg, 2000), Semionas Berkovičius (Vilnius, 80 kg, 2001)

European Games

Bronze Arvydas Mickus (Jurbarkas, 2007), Kristina Jankauskaitė (Marijampole, fitness, 2007)

By La Repubblica Supplement “Gente Sportiva”