The best swimming pool in Lithuania at the Girstutis sports and recreation complex in Kaunas hosted Makabi athletic club’s autumn swim-off with competitors from Kaunas, Panevėžys, Šiauliai and Vilnius October 28. Athletes competed according to age categories. The competition consisted of 25 meters freestyle and 50 meters of breast-stroke with men’s and women’s groups.

Valentina Timofejeva and her student Erika Kolokolenkova won for both distances each in the women’s group. Albertas Savinčius from Panevėžys and Vilius Rackevičius from Vilnius won twice in the men’s. Candidates for the European Maccabiah Games are Andrej Fadeev, winner multiple times in the European and World Maccabiah, and Robert Nikitin. In the 50-meter breast-stroke, Robert beat Andrej by 0.01 seconds. Sadly Kamilė Ilijonskytė was not able to compete; in other competitions she swam a distance of 1 kilometer.

All competitors received a medal of participation and the champions were presented nice trophies. The youngest and oldest competitors, Oleksij Kokov of Vilnius and Konstantin Chružkov of Panevėžys, respectively, received special trophies as well. Athletes relaxed after the competition in the sauna and hot tub, and at lunch. Senior referee Goda Overlingaitė conducted the competition well.