Justinas Kinderis

As he enters his third decade of competing at the highest level, Justinas Kinderis can boast of being one of the world’s most experienced pentathletes. He represented his native Lithuania at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and, thanks to his top-five finish at the 2019 European Championships, will do so again at the Tokyo Olympics. He won bronze at the World Championships in 2010 and 2017, which goes to prove that his success is no fluke but the result of talent and sustained dedication to his art.

Kinderis didn’t do much sport as a child, but once he found his way to the pentathlon, he couldn’t get enough of it. His first appearance in an international tournament came back in 2003 when, at 15 years old, he travelled to Hungary to take part in the European Youth Championships. Weeks later, he spent his 16th birthday competing in the Junior European Cup in the Czech Republic, where he finished an impressive sixth. Years of travelling the world to compete followed until, in 2009, Kinderis achieved his real breakthrough, finishing fifth in the European Championships in Germany and, six weeks later, sixth in the World Championships in Britain. The following year was even better. As well as his first World Championship bronze, he took another bronze in the mixed relay and gold in the men’s team event. He also improved on his previous year’s performance at the Euros, finishing fourth.

With many more years of constant achievement under his belt, Kinderis can look Tokyo and beyond with confidence.