World Record Holder Ruta Meilutyte Heads Up Lithuanian World Championships Roster

With the 2024 World Championships on the horizon, Lithuania has revealed its 13-strong lineup set to represent the nation in Doha, Qatar.

Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte leads the charge, joined by 4 additional women while fellow Olympian Danas Rapsys headlines the 8-man side of the roster.

26-year-old Meilutyte earned the 2023 Swammy Award for European Female Swimmer of the Year. She won the women’s 100m breaststroke in Fukuoka, producing a time of 1:04.62 as the 8th fastest performance in history.

She also topped the women’s 50m breaststroke event, crushing a new World Record of 29.16 after having matched Italian Benedetta Pilato’s old WR of 29.30 in the semi-finals. Meilutyte’s performances marked the sole pieces of hardware earned by Lithuanian swimmers at the 2023 World Championships.

As for 28-year-old Rapsys, the versatile ace made waves at last year’s European Short Course Championships. He collected silver in the 400m free as well as bronze in the 200m free and 200m IM events.

As another member of the women’s roster, up-and-comer Smilte Plytnykaite will look to carry momentum from the 2023 European Junior Championships. There in Belgrade, Plytnykaite earned gold in the women’s 100m free and was also a member of 2 national record-setting relays at the 2023 World Junior Championships.