Rower Kamile Kralikaite, a 2024 All-American, three-time All-ACC First Team selection and two-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree, will represent Lithuania in the upcoming Summer Olympics.
Being a skilled rower earned Kamile Kralikaite ’24 an athletic scholarship to Syracuse University, where she helped the Orange women’s rowing team claim the first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship in school history.
Her proficiencies on the water also earned Kralikaite the opportunity of a lifetime representing Lithuania in the women’s pair competition at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
To qualify for the Olympics is a dream come true, especially being from such a small country. I still can’t believe I get to represent my country on this big stage. — Kamile Kralikaite ’24
But there was a time not that long ago, before Kralikaite came to the United States, when she wanted to abandon her rowing career. Recruited by a local coach when she was just 13 years old because she was tall and athletic, Kralikaite left her family and friends to begin a three-year training project focused on qualifying for the 2018 Youth Olympics.
While Kralikaite enjoyed the sport, her entire life revolved around rowing, and she experienced burnout from the arduous training sessions with no days off. Then came the decision that helped turn things around for Kralikaite: enrolling at Syracuse University as an international relations major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences.
Once on campus, Kralikaite discovered that she was so much more than a talented rower. She formed tight friendships with her fellow student-athletes and coaches and rediscovered her love of rowing. Kralikaite credits her coach, Luke McGee, with helping her heal and find a healthy balance between rowing and her personal life.
“I will forever be happy and grateful for my experiences at Syracuse University. I met so many cool people that supported me and helped me reach my goals,” says Kralikaite, a 2024 All-American, three-time All-ACC First Team selection and two-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree. “It was incredible how much we were able to achieve. Winning the ACC championship for the first time in school history was amazing. Everyone was selfless and wanted the same goal and worked tirelessly to help our team achieve success. It was the best experience.”
Kamile Kralikaite (right) and her partner, Ieva Adomaviciute, will vie for a gold medal in Paris in the women’s pair competition.
Kamile Kralikaite
Kralikaite, who hails from the tiny central Lithuanian city of Kaisiadorys (population: 8,334) will vie for a gold medal in Paris after she and her partner, Ieva Adomaviciute, finished 10th at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, last September. The top 11 boats qualified for the Olympics.
The women’s pair competition begins on July 28, with the semifinals on July 31 and the final on Aug. 2.
“Our goal is to qualify for the A final, which would be huge. Right now, we’re producing some good speed from our boat, and we feel good. You wish for the gold, but as long we give it our absolute best against the world’s best, I know we’ll do well,” says Kralikaite, who along with Orange teammate Martyna Kazlauskaite, won the 2023 U23 World Championship in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Before she takes center stage with the world’s best rowers, Kralikaite sat down with SU News to discuss how she’s preparing for the Olympics, the thrill she feels representing Lithuania and how her time on campus fueled her holistic development.
Kamile Kralikaite (back) and her partner, Ieva Adomaviciute, preparing for the Olympics.
The last couple of weeks has been about mental preparation, because you can’t gain too much speed at this point. I’ve been going for runs, working on my breathing, doing exercises and training on the water. I train six to seven hours each day. My goal is to be as brave and confident as I can during my races.
My preparation started almost a year ago. I knew we’d be racing against women who had more experience than I did, so I started working on becoming as mentally strong as I could. I treated trainings as if we weren’t just going up against ACC or NCAA competition, but also the competition I’d see in the Summer Olympics. When it comes time to compete, I’ve put myself in that situation a million times before mentally, so I know to just give it my best effort.
To qualify is huge, a dream come true, especially being from such a small country. Our whole Olympic rowing team is very young. Seven of our eight athletes are going to their first Games. It’s such a cool feeling and I still can’t believe I get to represent my country on this big stage. Lithuanians have been so supportive to those of us who qualified, and it’s great to know all that hard work paid off.
I started listening to this intense techno music and I just started feeling very brave. I’d walk around feeling like a winner and acting like a winner. If you walk into the room when you’re about to warm up and you’re already scared and fearful, you’ve already lost. I also write down and say out loud to myself that I am enough, which sounds so simple, but it’s a very powerful message. Whether you’re lining up for a race at Syracuse or in Paris for the Olympics, we’re all equal. Once the race starts, it’s about whoever wants it more and whoever was better prepared. Maybe some of my competitors have been in the sport longer, but I plan on giving my absolute best.
I also always wear my Syracuse gear whenever I warmup. But in the Olympics, there’s rules that we have to wear the official uniform when we race, so I have to take off my Syracuse gear. But I know I will have Orange Nation cheering me on!
I like visualizing success. It’s very powerful because you put yourself in a place where you see yourself achieving. Rowing is a sport where you line up and give it everything you’ve got for two kilometers. Your body is going to be in extreme pain for six to seven minutes. You have to be ready for it and not get scared when your competitors are around you, so visualization and practicing breathing exercises has helped me a lot.
Kamile Kralikaite (center) in action with her Syracuse teammates.
I fully grew into the person I am today because of Syracuse. I started to love myself again, to love life and love people. I started to see how much better everything is when you work together versus when you’re trying to achieve everything by yourself. My coaches showed me how to be the best possible version of myself. I was surrounded by the best people and they made Syracuse such a special place.
