'She Will Fix My Mistake': How a Basketball Player's Daughter Fell in Love with Swimming

Vilnius Airport buzzed with anticipation as Lithuanian basketball player Arvydas Jurkūnas awaited his daughter, swimmer Ieva Visockaitė. Jurkūnas, a former player for Žalgiris and a member of the Lithuanian national team, shared a connection with Arūnas Visockas, another basketball legend whose daughter, Ieva Visockaitė, is also a swimmer.

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I shouldn't single anyone out from the team, but what Ieva did is incredible.

Ieva Visockaitė, the youngest member of the national team, competed in the freestyle events at the Paris Olympics. Her preparation included altitude training in Spain before heading to France. Despite the pressure of the championships, the 16-year-old made her mark by setting a new national record in the 200m freestyle heats with a time of 1:57.28 minutes. She advanced to the semifinals with the second-best result and then stunned everyone again with another national record of 1:56.90 in the semifinals, securing a spot in the final.

In the final race, Visockaitė finished in fifth place. "I shouldn't single anyone out from the team, but what Ieva did is incredible," said Saulius Binevičius, head of LTU Aquatics, expressing admiration for the young swimmer. He noted that sending young athletes to the championships was a significant financial investment for the association, but Visockaitė's performance, including her fifth-place finish which was practically equivalent to a medal, proved the decision right.

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It was very expensive for the association to delegate young people to the championships. But we see that the decision of the association's executive committee has paid off. Ieva has revealed herself, introduced herself to the Lithuanian sports community with records. Before the championships, many knew Tajus Juška from the youth, and here the 16-year-old's 5th place is practically equivalent to a medal. Great potential, very good physical data, she is not only individually strong but also helped the team strongly in relays.

Binevičius emphasized Visockaitė's immense potential, strong physical attributes, and her valuable contribution to relay races. He also congratulated her family for their dedication, including moving from Varėna to Kaunas to provide her with the best training conditions and trusting the coaches' guidance. This support system is crucial for nurturing such a promising talent.

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I really want to congratulate Ieva, her whole family for what she has done for her daughter: left Varėna, moved to Kaunas so that her daughter would have the best conditions to train, trusted what the coaches are doing, what they say. This is very pleasing.

Visockaitė's passion for swimming was evident from a young age. Her mother, J. Jurkūnienė, noticed her daughter's affinity for water when Ieva was just four years old in Hungary, where Arvydas Jurkūnas was playing basketball. Ieva learned to swim quickly and excelled in lessons, often finishing first. Her parents, both former athletes, her father a basketball player and her mother a handball player, supported her choice to pursue swimming over basketball, a sport her father had initially hoped she might consider.

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Here there were such thermal, open pools. At four years old, Ieva learned to swim and started attending swimming lessons. They put her in the last lane and she swam first. I realized that this sport would definitely be on her path.