On Tuesday, August 19, the UIPM U19 World Championships got underway in Druskininkai, Lithuania, with the women’s qualification rounds. A strong field of athletes competed across fencing, swimming, obstacle, and laser run, with the top 36 advancing to the finals.
Egypt’s Farida Khalil led the way in Group A with an impressive 1457 points, while Uzbekistan’s Mehriniso Kahramaonova and Egypt’s Ganah Elgindy rounded out the top three with consistent performances across all disciplines.
For the home team, there was plenty to celebrate as Faustė Lukminaitė and Martina Rutkauskaitė both secured qualification for the final. Their teammates — Gustė Pečiulytė, Gabrielė Ūkanytė, Emilija Srebaliūtė, Radvilė Ruseckaitė, Gerda Ivanauskaitė, and Ema Pupkutė — missed out on advancing but gained valuable experience competing at the world level.
Tomorrow, August 20, the spotlight turns to the men’s qualification rounds, while Druskininkai will also host a landmark sporting moment — the inaugural UIPM Para Tetrathlon World Championships, bringing together athletes with physical impairments for the first time on the world stage.