For the first time in national history, Lithuania had to have two equestrian riders in the Olympic Games. One of them was Aistis Vitkauskas, who had to compete with his horse Commander VG. After qualifying for the Olympics, however, Vitkauskas will not be able to participate due to a judging mistake.
In the run-up to the Paris Olympic Games, LRT is launching a special series “Lithuania’s Olympians”, made to get to know the country’s representatives in the games.
As a child, Vitkauskas tried a few different sports, such as swimming and rowing, before he finally discovered horse riding.
“When I was 14, I let go of normal sports and went horse riding,” Vitkauskas laughs.
He says he fell in love with horse riding not because of his sports ambition but because of his love of animals: “In my family, especially for my father, animals have always been very important – either a dog or birds were in the house. So, horses were more than a sport for me.”
Vitkauskas remembers watching an eventing competition – which includes dressage, showjumping, cross-country – as a child and realising it was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
The rider’s first equestrian coach was Jonas Butkus, who helped the Olympian fall in love with the sport.
“I instantly connected with the equestrian world. Thanks to the inspiration of the coach, I stayed in horse riding. But I came for the horses, not the sport,” Vitkauskas explains.
For more than 20 years, he has been living and training in Denmark. He says he left Lithuania to find better training conditions.
Lithuania used to dominate in the eventing discipline, but now Vitkauskas is the only country representative competing in elite European competitions.
According to the rider, leaving did not change his relationship with Lithuania, but the decision helped him accelerate his career.
“My relationship with Lithuania, as a Lithuanian, never changed. But I don’t think I made a mistake. I saw that it was hard for others in Lithuania to proceed, and the riding discipline, which used to be one of the most popular before, now struggles to come back. I was able to hold on to the sport and improve,” Vitkauskas shares.
The rider’s partner Commander VG has a motivated personality, which is essential in cross-country competitions. However, in dressage events that require concentration and calmness, this could be a limitation. Vitkauskas says that the pair is going in the right direction in finding the balance.
“It’s normal in my discipline that horses want to run when they must concentrate or vice versa. Finding the balance needs time and trust, and I think he is successfully moving forward,” he says.
Until now, the oldest Lithuanian Olympian was 48-year-old shooter Rolandas Račinskas, who participated in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016. Vitkauskas, 51, would have beaten this record had he participated in the Paris Olympics.
“We riders know that if you keep in good shape and avoid injuries, you can ride for a long time. We understand that it is not as athletic a sport as the long jump or running, but we are the happiest athletes because we take care of our horses and do what we love every day. That’s why our situation is somewhat different and we can continue longer,” the Olympian smiles.
Vitkauskas just barely did not make it to the Tokyo Olympic Games four years ago. That is why after years of trying to get in, he had high expectations for the Paris Olympics.
“If I can dream and fantasise, the goal is not only to participate but also to succeed. Commander VG is one of the best horses in cross-country in the world, and it is not only my opinion. That’s why I am silently dreaming of big goals for the Olympics,” he says.
On June 17, it was reported that Vitkauskas will not be participating in the Paris Olympics after all. After qualifying for the Olympics in January, Vitkauskas still had to meet additional minimum requirements. The rider competed in Poland and Germany to meet these minimum requirements. He was told by the judges that the requirements had been met, but later it turned out that there was a mistake.
Translated by Monika Jurevičius.
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