• Home
  • News
  • VMU Students Dominate the SELL Games in Finland

VMU Students Dominate the SELL Games in Finland

From May 16–18, the 40th anniversary edition of the SELL Games took place in Vierumäki, Finland, bringing together universities from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. First held in 1924, the SELL Games are one of the most important student sports events in the Baltic region. As in previous years, VMU (Vytautas Magnus University) athletes stood out with impressive results, returning to Kaunas with 14 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze medals. Of the 39 university delegates who participated, 38 brought home at least one medal.

“Last year, when the SELL Games were held in Lithuania—mainly at the VMU President Valdas Adamkus Sports Center—our athletes won 52 medals, making us the top university in total medals,” said Dr. Vladas Juknevičius, Head of VMU Sports Centre. “This year, although our delegation was smaller and the total medal count was lower, the medals we earned were of higher value. We can confidently say we dominated almost every sport we competed in. This proves that VMU athletes are among the best not only in Lithuania, but beyond its borders as well.”

Continued Dominance in Basketball

VMU’s excellence in Lithuanian, European, and global student basketball was once again proven in Vierumäki, where both the men’s and women’s 3×3 basketball teams won gold medals.

Women’s champions: Martyna Petrėnaitė, Karolina Kazociūnaitė, Gedvilė Savostaitė, Dominyka Paliulytė

Men’s champions: Rokas Jocys, Augustinas Mikštas, Gabrielius Čelka, Titas Januševičius

Coach: Deividas Kumelis

Six Medals in Badminton

A four-member VMU badminton delegation achieved an outstanding six medals—showing dominance across all events.

  • Women’s singles final: VDU’s Samanta Golubickaitė defeated Anna Kovalenko – Gold: S. Golubickaitė

  • Men’s singles: Gold: Andrii Don, Bronze: Vladyslav Stepanchenko

  • Women’s doubles: Gold: S. Golubickaitė / A. Kovalenko

  • Men’s doubles: Gold: A. Don / V. Stepanchenko

Track & Field Victories

Five track and field athletes returned with five medals:

  • 100 m sprint: Gold – Kristupas Seikauskas, Silver – Robert Karagezian

  • 400 m sprint: Gold – Lukas Šermukšnis

  • 800 m run: Silver – Rokas Zubrickas

  • 4×100 m relay: Gold – Matas Vilinauskas, R. Karagezian, L. Šermukšnis, K. Seikauskas

Chess Achievements

VMU student from Ukraine, Yaryna Ozhaiska, earned two medals:

  • Silver – women’s blitz chess

  • Bronze – rapid chess

Judo Success

Five VDU judo athletes competed, earning four medals:

  • Gold – Augustas Šlyteris (90 kg)

  • Silver – Matas Norkevičius (66 kg), Augis Raulušonis (73 kg)

  • Bronze – Žygimantas Sadeikis (90 kg)

Dovydas Sebastijanskas (100 kg) just missed the podium, placing 5th with honor.

Table Tennis Doubles: Unstoppable

Both men’s and women’s doubles teams won gold:

  • Men’s champions: Aleksandras Chmelevskis & Rimas Lesiv

  • Women’s champions: Vitalija Venckutė & Eglė Jankauskienė

In singles:

  • Silver: R. Lesiv (men’s singles)

  • K. Ščigaitė won gold in the women’s tournament, while E. Jankauskienė finished just outside the medals in 4th place.

  • A. Chmelevskis did not reach the final four.

Women’s Volleyball Team Crowned Champions After a Tough Battle

The VMU women’s volleyball team took 1st place after a hard-fought victory against Finland’s team in both the group stage and final—each match going to the deciding set.

Champions: Vaiva Valionytė, Eemilija Barkauskaitė, Karolina Pravdinskaitė, Greta Mikoliūnaitė, Martyna Paukštytė, Augustė Kundrotaitė, Vanesa Matulevič, Nehir Aras, Kateryna Zui

VMU Eyes Continued International Success

2024 has already become one of the most successful years in VDU’s sports history, with the university ranking 4th–5th among all European universities based on awards received. Gold medals were won at World University Championships, and achievements were recognized nationally in student and city-level sports awards.

“Last year we raised the bar extremely high, proving that VDU is an elite European university in terms of student athletic achievement and infrastructure,” added Dr. Vladas Juknevičius. “Our sports center even hosted the World University Modern Pentathlon Championship, with top 10-ranked athletes participating. These accomplishments inspire our whole sports community to keep working hard and striving for excellence—and SELL Games always serve as a great tone-setter for the season ahead.”

Other news