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From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.

Tag: Modestas Vaiciulis

  • Team 22: Lithuania

    Lithuania

    2009-2010 Nations Cup Ranking: N/A

    2010-2011 Nations Cup Ranking: 22nd (13 pts)

    Men: 20th (13 pts)

    Women: N/A

    2011/2012 World Cup Team (Best Estimate)

    Men

    Aleksei Novoselski

    Modestas Vaiciulis

    Women

    N/A

    What You May Have Missed Last Season

    First of all, that Lithuania had a presence on the World Cup, and second of all, where the tiny Baltic country is. With a population of just 3.2 million people, Lithuania doesn’t make much of a splash on the world stage, except with their basketball team, who finished a surprising 4th at the 2008 Bejing Summer Olympics.

    Second, they didn’t actually score any individual World Cup points at all.

    It took some serious digging from FasterSkier’s dedicated research team to uncover where their points came from, and who scored them. Turns out, all 13 came from one team sprint event, in Liberec, Czech Republic, where Novoselski and Vaiciulis finished 18th.

    What You Need to Know For This Season

    Despite their lack of World Cup success to date, there are a group of young Lithuanian’s pushing hard to advance the Lithuanian ski program, which seems to be seeing a surge in popularity.

    Whether it be this group, which made a pretty decent video, or the two team sprinters who have been battling for positions on the World Cup, it’s a possibility that down the road they will become a regular presence on the circuit. As the largest of the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), if skiing becomes an entrenched part of the culture, it is possible that they could punch above their weight.

    Next season won’t be the breakout campaign for the Lithuanians’, but if you see them on the start line of a team sprint, at least root for them to pick up a few spots.

    Who To Watch

    Modestas Vaiciulis is the only skier in the current age bracket who has a chance to have immediate World Cup impact. At 23, he has some good sprint experience, and some decent if not spectacular results. In particular, his Under-23 Championship sprint placed him 36th, less than a second from qualifying, and amongst Gianluca Cologna (SUI) and Andrew Musgrave (GBR), both of whom are considered quality young skiers.