Vytautas Girnius

Vytautas Girnius (born 4 February 1959) is a retired Lithuanian Paralympic athlete who competed at international track and field competitions. He is a double Paralympic champion for the Soviet Union in 1988 Summer Paralympics, he is also a two-time Paralympic silver medalist and a World bronze medalist for Lithuania.[1]

Vytautas Girnius
Personal information
Born (1959-02-04) 4 February 1959
Virbalis, Soviet Union
Sport
Country Lithuania
SportParalympic athletics
Disability classB1
Medal record
Paralympic athletics
Representing  Soviet Union
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place1988 SeoulJavelin throw B1
Gold medal – first place1988 SeoulPentathlon B1
Representing  Lithuania
Paralympic Games
Silver medal – second place1992 BarcelonaPentathlon B1
Silver medal – second place1996 AtlantaJavelin throw F10
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2002 LilleJavelin throw F11

Disability

In 1972, thirteen year old Girnius and a few of his friends played games in his hometown. One of his friends found a WW2 bomb grenade, his friend detonated the bomb by puncturing it with a nail. The force of the blast killed two of his friends, one aged fifteen and the other thirteen, Girnius lost his eyesight permanently from the explosion.[2]

Sporting achievements

Once Girnius left hospital, he was interested in competing in athletics. In 1980, he joined the Kaunas Academy for the Blind and Visually Impaired coached by Jonas Burakov. He took part in the 1988 Summer Paralympics and won two gold medals where he became the first Paralympic champion for Lithuania. In 1992, he competed once more at the 1992 Summer Paralympics where he competed for his home country after Lithuania became independent in the year before, he won a silver medal in the pentathlon and was one of the first six independent Lithuanian medalists. Girnius was awarded the Order of the Grand Duke Gediminas III in 1996 and the Fair Play Laureate Prize a year later.[3]

References
  1. "Vytautas Girnius - IPC Profile". International Paralympic Committee. 18 August 2022.
  2. "The first Lithuanian Paralympic champion: from the fateful explosion to double gold (in Lithuanian)". lrt.lt. 26 November 2020.
  3. "Vytautas Girnius - Vilnijos Vartai (in Lithuanian)". Vilnijos Vartai. 18 August 2022.
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