It is with deep sadness that we announce that Kęstutis ŠAPKA, a great jumper, coach and judge, has passed away at the age of 76.

Kęstutis Šapka was born in Vilnius on 15 November 1949. In 1977 he graduated from the Vilnius Pedagogical Institute. Since 1977 he has been working as a coach. From 1991 to 1997 he was the head coach of the Lithuanian national athletics team, and since 2002 he has been an athletics coach-lecturer at the Republican Olympic Sports Centre and the Vilnius Olympic Sports Centre.

He won four gold medals at the Lithuanian Championships: in the high jump in 1969, 1970 and 1973, in the long jump in 1969. He became the Lithuanian indoor champion twice: in the high jump in 1974, in the 45 m hurdles in 1973, in 1972 and 1974 he won the USSR championships.

European high jump champion (1971, Helsinki; 2.20 m) and vice-champion (1974, Rome; 2.25 m). He won gold medals at the European Indoor Championships in 1974 and silver medals in 1972. In 1972 he participated in the XX Olympic Games in Munich.

From 1969 to 1974 he improved the Lithuanian high jump record 8 times – from 2.10 m to 2.25 m. After that, the most famous pupil of Kęstutis, Rolandas Verkys, became the Lithuanian record holder.

The first in the USSR began to use the technique of high jump backstroke. He was a referee at the XXII Olympic Games (1980 Moscow).

He was awarded the Olympic Star of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (2009).

In this painful hour of loss, we deeply sympathize with the family of the deceased, relatives, friends, and all the athletes.

Farewell on Wednesday, October 15, from 5 p.m. in Hall 1 of the funeral home “Broken String” (Vilnius, Ąžuolyno St. 10). The urn will be taken out on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.