Smiltė Plytnykaitė
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Smiltė Plytnykaitė (born 8 January 2007) is a Lithuanian swimmer. She is a World Junior champion, a multiple European Junior champion, and a national record holder.
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| Nationality |  Lithuania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 8 January 2007 Nemenčinė, Lithuania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Sostinės sporto centras Virginia Cavaliers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Plytnykaitė was born in Nemenčinė to Sandra Plytnykienė and Justinas Plytnykas; she has a younger brother, Joringis.[1] She attended and graduated from Vilnius Antakalnis Gymnasium.[1]
In Lithuania, she formerly trained at the Sostinės sporto centras in Vilnius under coach Kęstutis Steponavičius.[2] She rose to prominence in the Lithuanian swimming community in 2019, when at the age of 12, she broke two girls' under-13 national records previously held by Rūta Meilutytė.[3] In the fall of 2026, she moved to the United States to study and compete for the Virginia Cavaliers at the University of Virginia.[1]
Career
2022
Plytnykaitė had a breakthrough performance at the 2022 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. She won four medals in total: gold in the girls' 100-metre freestyle and the girls' 4×100-metre freestyle relay, silver in the mixed 4×100-metre freestyle relay, and bronze in the girls' 50-metre freestyle.
2023
At the European Junior Swimming Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, she won the gold medal in the girls' 100-metre freestyle.[1] The same year, she set the Lithuanian senior national record in the 100-metre freestyle with a time of 54.74 seconds.[1]
2024
During the European Junior Championships held in Vilnius, Plytnykaitė claimed gold in the 50-metre breaststroke and silver in the 100-metre breaststroke.[1] She also won a bronze medal as part of the Lithuanian mixed 4×100-metre medley relay team.
2025
At the European Junior Championships in Šamorín, Slovakia, she secured two more gold medals, becoming the champion in both the 50-metre and 100-metre breaststroke events.[1] She added a bronze medal in the girls' 4×100-metre medley relay.
The same year, at the World Junior Swimming Championships held in Romania, Plytnykaitė claimed the World Junior Champion title in the 100-metre breaststroke and won a silver medal in the 50-metre breaststroke.[1]