VDU – European Universities 3×3 Basketball Champions
From August 1–5, in the city of Salerno (Italy), the EUSA European Universities 3×3 Basketball Championship took place, where Vytautas Magnus University was represented by three teams – two men’s and one women’s. The tournament ended with the highest possible achievement for the VMU delegation – the men’s first team won gold medals and, for the fifth time in the university’s history, became European champions in this discipline.
The victorious run of the VMU-1 men’s team
The team of Titas Januševičius, Augustinas Mikštas, Gabrielius Čelka, and Rokas Jocys went undefeated throughout the tournament. They began their C group campaign with convincing wins over the University of Ferrara (Italy) 21:11, University of Zagreb (Croatia) 15:14, University of Debrecen (Hungary) 22:12, and University of Valencia (Spain) 22:15. In their final group game, they defeated the University of Pardubice (Czech Republic) 21:9, securing first place in the group and a favorable position for the knockout stage.
In the Round of 16, VMU-1 beat the Athens University of Technology (Greece) 21:13, in the quarterfinals they secured a solid 21:17 win over the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, and in the semifinals overcame the University of Nantes (France) 21:14.
In the final, the VMU men convincingly defeated the University of Valencia (Spain) 21:13. Titas Januševičius was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and also earned a place in the symbolic All-Tournament Team.
Just a few weeks earlier, this same roster had triumphed at the Universiade, and this latest title means that VMU-1 successfully defended the EUSA championship they had won two years ago.
VMU-2 men’s team stopped in the Round of 16
Playing in Group B, the VMU-2 team opened their campaign with a loss to the University of Seville (Spain) 12:21, but rebounded with a 22:6 win over the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences. On the third day, they fell to the University of Nantes (France) 15:20 but then beat the University of Tübingen (Germany) 21:11. In their last group game, they defeated the National Technical University of Athens (Greece) 21:18.
Finishing third in Group B set up a Round of 16 clash with the University of Valencia, which they lost 17:22, ending their run. They finished in the 9–16 place bracket overall.
VMU women’s team – one step from the medals
The women’s team opened the group stage with a 21:4 win over Gdańsk University of Technology (Poland). On the second day, they dominated the University of Göttingen (Germany) 18:6 and beat Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary) 21:14. They closed the group phase with a 21:6 victory over the University of Salerno (Italy) and cruised past the University of Toulouse (France) 21:5 in the Round of 16.
The quarterfinal brought a dramatic battle against the Polytechnic University of Bucharest (Romania). In the closing seconds, the Romanian team seized the lead and won 20:19, leaving the VMU women’s team in the 5–8 place bracket.
An impressive summer for VMU on the international stage
This gold medal is yet another highlight of VMU’s sporting summer in 2025. The university had already dominated the SELL Games, where it became the most decorated delegation. In the EUSA European Universities Championships, VMU has already secured:
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Gold in men’s 3×3 basketball
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Gold in men’s 5×5 basketball (Bologna, Italy)
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Silver in women’s beach volleyball (Granada, Spain)
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Bronze in badminton (Madrid, Spain)
Adding the summer Universiade in Germany, where VMU students won gold in 3×3 basketball, bronze in 5×5 basketball, bronze in the mixed quadruple sculls (Mix4x) rowing event, and achieved high results in swimming and judo, the university firmly ranks among the most decorated higher education institutions in Europe.
The foundation of these achievements lies in the consistent development of its sports program, modern infrastructure, and the work of top-level coaches. Today, VMU is an undisputed sports leader in Lithuania and the Baltic region, with its athletes consistently delivering top results in major international competitions.