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From Sidelines to Paralympics: Lithuanian Shooter's Journey of Resilience and Access
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Sports

From Sidelines to Paralympics: Lithuanian Shooter's Journey of Resilience and Access

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Lithuanian Paralympian Rūta Bučinskytė, who will represent the country at the 2024 Paris Games, has become a prominent figure in Paralympic sports.
  • Bučinskytė discovered shooting by chance at a local festival in 2013 and found the sport requires precision and perfectionism.
  • Significant improvements in accessibility and public attitude in Šiauliai have made sports facilities more inclusive for people with disabilities over the past decade.

Rūta Bučinskytė, a rising star in Lithuanian Paralympic sports and a four-time national champion, is set to make history as the first Lithuanian athlete to compete in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Shooting chose me more than I chose it, because I never dreamed and never thought about this activity in my life. I wasn't even familiar with what shooting was.

— Rūta BučinskytėExplaining how she got into the sport of shooting.

Bučinskytė's journey into shooting began unexpectedly in 2013 at a festival in Šiauliai. Initially drawn to the social aspect, she soon discovered the sport's demands for precision and perfectionism. "Shooting chose me more than I chose it," she recalls, having never envisioned herself in the sport.

Her early training presented significant challenges due to accessibility issues. The shooting range was located in a basement, requiring others to carry her in and out. "It was very, very complicated," she remembers. However, the local shooting community recognized her dedication and worked to adapt the facility, creating an accessible entrance.

Getting into the shooting range was impossible for me because the range is in the basement. Local shooters would carry me in so I could train, and when I finished training, they would carry me out. It was very, very complicated.

— Rūta BučinskytėDescribing the accessibility challenges she faced early in her career.

Over the last decade, Bučinskytė has witnessed a dramatic transformation in accessibility, not just in sports but in public spaces across Šiauliai. She now trains in accessible facilities and can move freely throughout the city. "The changes are very big and very positive. I can be proud of my Šiauliai – I can get anywhere I want," she states.

The changes are very big and very positive. I can be proud of my Šiauliai – I can get anywhere I want.

— Rūta BučinskytėCommenting on the improved accessibility in her city.

While infrastructure improvements are notable, Bučinskytė emphasizes the profound shift in public attitude as the most significant change. She contrasts the current inclusive environment with the past, recalling an instance 20 years ago when she was discouraged from joining a sports club due to her wheelchair use. The change, she notes, is not just about ramps but about a fundamental shift in how people perceive and include individuals with disabilities.

About 20 years ago, when I tried to get into a sports club in Šiauliai, I specifically chose it because it had an entrance, I was told that maybe you shouldn't come here, because people would see you.

— Rūta BučinskytėRecalling past negative attitudes towards people with disabilities in sports facilities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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