European Champs Offer Ruta Meilutyte Her Latest Opportunity On Comeback Trail
One of the better storylines out of the World Championships earlier this year was the reemergence of Ruta Meilutyte as an international factor in the sprint-breaststroke events. In Budapest, the Lithuanian captured gold in the 50-meter breaststroke (29.70) and claimed a bronze medal in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.02).
This week, Meilutyte will chase podium spots at the European Championships in Rome.
It’s been a decade since Meilutyte wowed the sport with a gold-medal performance at the 2012 Olympic Games. In London, a 15-year-old Meilutyte clipped American Rebecca Soni in the defining moment of her career. In the immediate years that followed, she added multiple world titles and medals, along with world records in the 50 breast and 100 breast – short course and long course.
Although Meilutyte continued to earn international medals into the 2018 campaign, she was not the forceful presence of years prior. With her passion fading, she missed three out-of-competition doping tests between 2018 and 2019, those errors leading to a two-year suspension from FINA. Prior to her penalty, Meilutyte announced her retirement.
After two years away, and in concert with the end of her suspension, Meilutyte returned to competition in 2021 and started building toward a successful comeback. That target was achieved at the World Championships this summer, where Meilutyte not only proved herself in top-tier form, but once again as a major figure on the global scene.
At the European Championships, Meilutyte has an opportunity to further her comeback. She is a leading contender for gold in both the 50 breast and 100 breast, where she’ll tangle with the likes of Italian Benedetta Pilato and Sweden’s Sophie Hansson. A strong showing in Rome would be the next positive step toward the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
She missed 3 out of competition doping tests and then retired before she was sanctioned to a 2 year swimming ban. She obviously wasn’t being tested during her ‘retirement’ either. It’s incredible how she can come out of retirement to beat swimmers who have been training non -stop and being tested regularly. She is an amazing talent!