







The Most Famous
ATHLETES from Lithuania
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Lithuanian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Lithuanian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Lithuanian Athletes.

1. Virgilijus Alekna (b. 1972)
With an HPI of 58.19, Virgilijus Alekna is the most famous Lithuanian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages on wikipedia.
Virgilijus Alekna (Lithuanian pronunciation: [vʲɪrʲˈɡʲɪlʲɪjʊs ɐlʲɛkˈnɐ]; 13 February 1972) is a Lithuanian former discus thrower and politician. He won medals at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, including two golds. After retiring from athletics, Alekna was elected to the national parliament, the Seimas, in 2016. He has three children – Martynas Alekna, the discus world record holder Mykolas Alekna, and Gabrielė Aleknaite.

2. Władysław Kozakiewicz (b. 1953)
With an HPI of 58.07, Władysław Kozakiewicz is the 2nd most famous Lithuanian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.
Władysław Kozakiewicz (Polish pronunciation: [vwaˈdɨswaf kɔzaˈkʲɛvit͡ʂ]; born 8 December 1953) is a Lithuanian-born retired Polish athlete who specialised in the pole vault. He is best known for winning the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and the bras d'honneur gesture which he showed to the hostile Soviet crowd. In Poland, where the gesture was viewed as a symbol of resistance against Soviet dominance, it became known as "Kozakiewicz's gesture" (gest Kozakiewicza). In addition, he won several medals at continental level, won two Summer Universiades and broke the pole vault world record three times, twice outdoors and once indoors. He is also a ten-time Polish champion.

3. Władysław Komar (1940 - 1998)
With an HPI of 56.53, Władysław Komar is the 3rd most famous Lithuanian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
Władysław Stefan Komar (11 April 1940 – 17 August 1998) was a Polish shot putter, actor and cabaretist. Competing in three Summer Olympics between 1964 and 1972, he won the gold medal at the Munich Games in 1972 with a throw of 21.18 metres. His nickname was "King Kong" Komar as attributed to a Sports Illustrated article. His personal bests in the shot put were 21.19 metres outdoors (Warsaw 1974) and 20.32 metres indoors (Grenoble 1972), both being national records during his career.

4. Hans-Georg Reimann (b. 1941)
With an HPI of 56.22, Hans-Georg Reimann is the 4th most famous Lithuanian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Hans-Georg Reimann (born 24 August 1941 in Starrischken, Municipality Heydekrug) is a former East German race walker, who started for the SC Dynamo Berlin and the GDR and won two Olympic medals in 20 km racewalking. He finished third at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich in (1:27:17 hours) and finished second at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montréal in (1:25:14 hours). He won the silver medal (1:36:14.2 hours) at the 1962 European Championships. He - synchronously with Peter Frenkel - went a world record (1:25:19.4 hours). Four years later and he was flag bearer of the GDR team at the opening of the 1976 Summer Olympics. Reimann became first an engineer for measuring and automatic control. After the end of his sporting career he worked as a trainer for racewalkers. After the end of the GDR he became a pharmacy representative and lived in Neufahrn bei Freising. Reimann started for SC Dynamo Berlin and trained with Max Weber. In his athletic career he was 1.80 meters large and weighed 65 kg.

5. Remigijus Valiulis (1958 - 2023)
With an HPI of 55.78, Remigijus Valiulis is the 5th most famous Lithuanian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.
Remigijus Valiulis (20 September 1958 – 19 July 2023) was a Lithuanian athlete. He was a gold medalist in the men's 4 × 400 meter relay at the 1980 Summer Olympics for the Soviet Union and as a singles runner he took the bronze medal at the 1980 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Valiulis died on 19 July 2023, at the age of 64.

6. Romas Ubartas (b. 1960)
With an HPI of 53.93, Romas Ubartas is the 6th most famous Lithuanian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.
Romas Ubartas (born 26 May 1960 in Panevėžys) is a retired male discus thrower from Lithuania who won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics for the USSR and a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics for Lithuania, the nation's first gold. His personal best was 70.06m. He also became European champion, in 1986. When Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union, he trained at Dynamo in Vilnius. In 1993, after finishing fourth at the World Track and Field Championships in Germany, Ubartas failed a doping test and was disqualified for four years.

7. Kęstutis Šapka (b. 1949)
With an HPI of 53.28, Kęstutis Šapka is the 7th most famous Lithuanian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Kęstutis Šapka (born 15 November 1949) is a retired Lithuanian high jumper who represented the Soviet Union. He was inspired to become a professional high jumper after the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico and became one of the early adopters of Fosbury Flop. He retired due to recurring injuries. After retiring from competitions he worked as a trainer in Vilnius. In 2007, he was ranked as top 16 trainer in track and field athletics.

8. Robertas Žulpa (1960 - 2024)
With an HPI of 51.99, Robertas Žulpa is the 8th most famous Lithuanian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Robertas Žulpa (20 March 1960 – 30 August 2024) was a Lithuanian swimmer who competed for the Soviet Union during his professional career. Žulpa trained at VSS Žalgiris in Vilnius, becoming the Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1980. He won a gold medal in 200 m breaststroke with a time of 2:15.85 at the 1980 Summer Olympics. In 1988, Žulpa emigrated to Italy where he started to coach swimming to 11-year-old boys. Later, he became Italian–Russian translator for various companies. Žulpa spent much of his time in his native Lithuania working as a Lithuanian–Italian translator. Žulpa died on 30 August 2024, at the age of 64.

9. Žydrūnas Savickas (b. 1975)
With an HPI of 50.78, Žydrūnas Savickas is the 9th most famous Lithuanian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.
Žydrūnas Savickas (Lithuanian pronunciation: [ʑiːˈdrûːnɐs sɐˈvʲɪtskɐs]; born July 15, 1975) is a Lithuanian former professional strongman and powerlifter. Throughout his career, he competed in and won 84 international competitions, including four World's Strongest Man titles, two IFSA Strongman World Championship's, a Fortissimus title, and a record eight Arnold Strongman Classic titles; a competition revered for its focus on testing static, brute strength. Due to these accomplishments, combined with 75 world records, particularly in events such as the deadlift, squat, and overhead press, including an unprecedented 16-year reign as the log lift world record holder, he is widely regarded as the greatest strongman of all time.

10. Nijolė Sabaitė (b. 1950)
With an HPI of 50.78, Nijolė Sabaitė is the 10th most famous Lithuanian Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Nijolė Sabaitė (née Razienė; born August 12, 1950 in Raseiniai, Lithuanian SSR) is a retired Lithuanian middle distance runner who represented internationally the USSR. She trained at VSS Nemunas in Vilnius. Sabaitė began athletics in 1967 and was a member of the USSR National Team since 1970. She competed mainly in the 800 metres, and won an Olympic silver medal in 1972, between Germans Hildegard Falck (gold) and Gunhild Hoffmeister (bronze). She also won 800m silver at the 1973 Summer Universiade behind Lilyana Tomova from Bulgaria, studying in Vilnius Pedagogical Institute. In 1972 she was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.
People
Pantheon has 52 people classified as Lithuanian athletes born between 1940 and 2002. Of these 52, 49 (94.23%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Lithuanian athletes include Virgilijus Alekna, Władysław Kozakiewicz, and Hans-Georg Reimann. The most famous deceased Lithuanian athletes include Władysław Komar, Remigijus Valiulis, and Robertas Žulpa. As of April 2024, 52 new Lithuanian athletes have been added to Pantheon including Virgilijus Alekna, Władysław Kozakiewicz, and Władysław Komar.
Living Lithuanian Athletes
Go to all RankingsVirgilijus Alekna
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.19
Władysław Kozakiewicz
1953 - Present
HPI: 58.07
Hans-Georg Reimann
1941 - Present
HPI: 56.22
Romas Ubartas
1960 - Present
HPI: 53.93
Kęstutis Šapka
1949 - Present
HPI: 53.28
Žydrūnas Savickas
1975 - Present
HPI: 50.78
Nijolė Sabaitė
1950 - Present
HPI: 50.78
Darius Kasparaitis
1972 - Present
HPI: 49.62
Lina Kačiušytė
1963 - Present
HPI: 48.71
Laura Asadauskaitė
1984 - Present
HPI: 48.37
Galina Murašova
1955 - Present
HPI: 47.96
Daina Gudzinevičiūtė
1965 - Present
HPI: 47.89
Deceased Lithuanian Athletes
Go to all RankingsWładysław Komar
1940 - 1998
HPI: 56.53
Remigijus Valiulis
1958 - 2023
HPI: 55.78
Robertas Žulpa
1960 - 2024
HPI: 51.99
Newly Added Lithuanian Athletes (2024)
Go to all RankingsVirgilijus Alekna
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.19
Władysław Kozakiewicz
1953 - Present
HPI: 58.07
Władysław Komar
1940 - 1998
HPI: 56.53
Hans-Georg Reimann
1941 - Present
HPI: 56.22
Remigijus Valiulis
1958 - 2023
HPI: 55.78
Romas Ubartas
1960 - Present
HPI: 53.93
Kęstutis Šapka
1949 - Present
HPI: 53.28
Robertas Žulpa
1960 - 2024
HPI: 51.99
Žydrūnas Savickas
1975 - Present
HPI: 50.78
Nijolė Sabaitė
1950 - Present
HPI: 50.78
Darius Kasparaitis
1972 - Present
HPI: 49.62
Lina Kačiušytė
1963 - Present
HPI: 48.71