The rookie of the Games, who arrived in Tokyo, highlighted his advantage over some rivals

So far, the Tokyo Olympics skimp on Lithuanian athletes’ medals. One of the biggest hopes was extended early Tuesday morning alongside Dan Rapšis last place in the 200m freestyle final, making the highest place our country has achieved so far is eighth.

However, the next start of the finalists of the rowers Milda Valčiukaitė and Donata Queen on Wednesday, the landing of the athletes that will begin at the Olympic Stadium on July 30, the battles of track cyclists and experienced pentathletes at the end of the Games Olympians do not allow hang their noses.

The Lithuanian state of mind can also rejoice with pleasant surprises that other Olympians will try to absorb. Among them is kayaker M. Maldonis, who will make his Games debut and landed on a plane in the land of the Rising Sun on Monday.

“It’s my first Olympics, it’s a lot of fun. The olympic village itself is big, there’s a place to walk, it’s all very beautiful. I haven’t had a chance to go to my rowing channel yet, even though I was there two years ago. , so I know what to expect. Starting tomorrow I will start moving for sporting purposes “, – M. Maldonis shared his first impressions this Tuesday.

In the media area next to the Olympic Village, he said that he had not yet gone to the Olympic rowing channel, but he knew about it because he had to compete there two years ago.

“I did not count how many workouts there will be before the start, but I will only be able to train once in the first three days, because there will be more academic rowing competitions, it is only a couple of hours at night. Then I will do two workouts. I will be able to do a lot.” said the kayaker.

When asked about the rivals and the tasks they proposed, the Olympian could not say anything concrete: “I don’t have the opportunity to count the rivals yet, because there are no exit protocols. There will be a number of competitors as it will allow two representatives from the country for the first time. This is a first for us. I am doing my job so far and I am not looking at others.

What are the goals in Tokyo? Entering the Olympics is a great goal. What I tell myself is do the best you can that day. In any case, you want to rise as high as possible and perform better. “

And Maldonis was not inclined to talk about places: “It is impossible to name. On the starting day, I see how others are, how I feel and then you can decide where you can “put yourself”. Sometimes it gets better, sometimes it gets worse. Such predictions. It’s too early to say anything now. “

He did not doubt that much will be determined by weather conditions, since it may be necessary to disintegrate both against the wind and downwind, the wind can blow from the side.

“Even those channel conditions can be different and one track can be better and the other worse. It’s better for me to row against the wind, because the distance is longer and I can “suffer” more than other sprinters, “Mindaugas laughed.

The heat does not scare the rookie of the Olympic Games, because he practiced sports in Lithuania in pleasant conditions, with a heat of more than 30 degrees.

“Since I was in Tokyo two years ago, I have known the heat and it is nothing new to me. So the heat didn’t cause me any problems and it won’t, hopefully this time. I do not feel the time difference and I feel normal in general, the whole system is normal time. I came directly to the Olympic Village, maybe it is good not to be distracted. We have adapted to the rules, we have accepted all restrictions due to the pandemic as the norm “, – the kayaker shared his impressions in detail.

When asked if she would try looking for Japanese cars in Tokyo, which she is a fan of, Mindaugas smiled: “Japanese cars are really more unique here in certain regions, if you start your hair while going to the city, you could definitely see more of them. But now everything is behind closed doors. It’s unless you can look at them through the bus window. “