Lithuanian Sport University (LSU) graduate, world and European discus throw winner Andrius Gudžius, his coach, LSU alumnus Vaclovas Kidykas and LSU physiotherapist, LSU alumnus Tomas Bendaravičius met with first-year students at one of the LSU Introductory Week events.
A. Gudžius, who graduated from Sports Coaching study programme this year, congratulated the students on the new stage of life and remembered his studies. As a student, he realized that it was important to have a goal and to pursue it using knowledge acquired at university. The athlete advised students to live so that they could create their own rules and engage in favourite activities. In athlete’s opinion, it is necessary to choose several study fields, thus creating more professional opportunities.
What concerns his sporting career, the discus thrower emphasised excellent relationships and a good psychological environment.
“Team is the most important. Exciting and useful training plans would not be possible without a knowledgeable and innovative coach; the inventiveness of a physiotherapist ensures well-being; and there would be no victories without the stubbornness of an athlete,” said A. Gudžius.
According to the discus thrower, failures teach us as much as failures do, as they take us forward and motivate more intensive training. When athletes experience a failure, the role of a coach is extremely important, because he is the one to help the most. “The coach is the person you address in hard times. He is your friend and father at the same time,” said the athlete.
Both coach Vaclovas Kidykas and physiotherapist Tomas Bendaravičius argued that Andrius Gudžius is a creative person. According to the athlete, discus throw is a sport where preparation and awareness of your own capabilities play a very important role. If you want to sleep – you sleep, if you want to eat – you eat, if you want the workout to be short – you train for fifteen minutes.
Andrius Gudžius made a joke about the job of a physiotherapist and called it acrobatic physiotherapy, because Tomas Bendaravičius weighs two times less than he does. The physiotherapist not only has to use physiotherapy knowledge and endurance, but also do acrobatic tricks to perform his work qualitatively. It would not be possible without creativity.
At the end of the meeting, A. Gudžius wished the new students to experience what it means to be famous. In his opinion, this helps to understand one’s own value, and later life teaches to work hard to achieve goals.
LSU Acting Rector Diana Rėklaitienė summed up the discussion and said that university is very important for elite athletes: “We support and seek to help professional athletes. Elite athletes do a lot to achieve good results, so we need to create opportunities for individual learning and acquisition of the latest knowledge in sport science.”
At the end of the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Dr. D. Rėklaitienė awarded LSU alumni gold Medals of Merit.
