You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (January 2024) Click for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 9,156 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at :de:Rimantas Bagdonas; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|de|Rimantas Bagdonas}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Rimantas Bagdonas Римантас Казимирович Багдонас; born November 25, 1938, in Biržai) is a Lithuanian wrestler (Greco-Roman wrestling).^[1][2]

He is the only Lithuanian wrestler who became a world champion (1965). He was also the only one Lithuanian who was a champion of the Soviet Union, twice (1961, 1963), and several times champion of the Lithuanian SSR.^[3]

Biographyedit

In 1941 his mother was accused of anti-Soviet activities and exiled to Siberia, where she spent 23 years. But when Rimantas became 15 years old he decided to run away and returned to Lithuania after 11 years of exile. Since because of his age he didn't need passport, hist history was unknown to the authorities.^[1] He settled with his relatives in Raseiniai district.^[2] His father emigrated to the United States after the war and mother joined him after returning form the exile.^[1]

Bagdonas started his studies at the Kiev Institute of Physical Education, but decided to continue his education in Lithuania. He was accepted at the second year of the Department of Journalism of the Vilnius State University.^[3]

After he became World Champion in 1965, it had eventually become known to the authorities of his relatives abroad, he was banned from leaving the Soviet Union for 10 years, so he could not go to the world championship next year. He left active sports in 1971.^[1]

Awards and reconginitionedit

• Since 2000, R. Bagdonas's international Greco-Roman wrestling tournaments have been held in Vilnius annually.^[2]
• The Olympic Star of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (2003)^[2]
• Officer's Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania (2004)^[2]
• Kūno kultūros ir sporto departamento Sporto garbės komandoro ženklas (2008)
• Charta Solemnis award of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (2008)

Referencesedit