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LITHUANIA AND ALEKNA WILL BE IN OTTAWA-HULL, ALEKNA: ATHLETE OF THE YEAR IN 2000Feb 27 2001Ottawa-Hull, February 22, 2001 - Virgilijus Alekna, gold medallist in the discus throw at the Olympic Games in Sydney and winner of the title of athlete of the year awarded each year by the prestigious American magazine Track and Field News, should be at the 2001 Games of La Francophonie. He is one of the athletes from the Republic of Lithuania who will be attempting to qualify to participate in the Games of La Francophonie in Ottawa-Hull. In addition to his Olympic title, Alekna was world champion in 1998. He is currently ranked sixth on the list of the best athletes in the world established by the International Amateur Athletic Federation and is considered the top discus thrower in the world by that same federation. He has achieved the second-and third-longest throws in the history of the event. These two extraordinary throws, which were 73.88 metres and 72.35 metres respectively, were made the same year at the last Lithuanian track and field championships. German Jurgen Schult, who set the world record in this event in 1986, is the only person to have thrown the discus farther than Virgilijus Alekna. Lithuania will be sending not only Alekna, but also some twenty other excellent participants to the athletics competitions at the Games of La Francophonie in Ottawa-Hull. For example, Romas Ubartas, gold medallist in the discus throw at the Olympic Games in Barcelona and one of the best in the world in this event, will be in the group. The IV Games of La Francophonie will be taking place in Ottawa-Hull from July 14 to 24, 2001. Nearly 2,900 artists and athletes representing more than 50 countries and governments will be present at the most important sports and cultural event the Francophone world has known. Eight sports competitions (athletics, basketball, boxing, football-soccer, judo, table tennis, beach volleyball and handisport) and eight cultural competitions (singing, storytelling, traditional-style dance, literature, painting, photography, sculpture and busking) will be on the program for what will be the event of the summer Check out the Jumpstart Athletics Canadian National Throws Rankings for complete rankings in the throws. If you have news, results or info please let us know by using our submission form or emailing Larry Steinke [ MEET INFORMATION ] [ ANALYSIS & TIPS ] [ THROWS ARTICLES ] [ INTERVIEWS ] [ RECORDS ] [ RESULTS ] [ CLASSIFIEDS ] [ HOT LINK ARCHIVE ] [ DISCUSSION FORUM ] [ SUBMISSIONS ] [ THROWERS QUIZ ] [ GUESTBOOK ] | ||