Hobbies
Painting, reading, writing. (nbcchicago.com, 05 Aug 2021; usagym.org, 04 Aug 2021)
Occupation
Athlete, Student
Education
Psychology - Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Spoken languages
English, Russian, Spanish
Club
North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center [United States]
Coach
Natalia Klimouk [club, national]
Sporting relatives
Her father Sigitas was a world fitness champion in 1997 and 1999, and her mother Olga competed in multiple world fitness championships in the 1990s. (usagym.org, 08 Jul 2018; northshorerhythmics.com, 01 Jan 2016; NABBA YouTube channel, 03 Mar 2013)
Start sporting career
She took up rhythmic gymnastics at age four. (Ana Canto YouTube channel, 22 Mar 2021)
Reason for taking up the sport
She was inspired by watching Russian rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva on television. "I said to my mom, 'I want to do that, I want to do that!' And of course I got laughed at. But, I kept asking, and then I was taken to an artistic gymnastics gym. I took one look at the gym and I refused to do anything because I said this [was] the wrong gymnastics, and I made her take me to a rhythmic gymnastics gym." (thewildcattribune.com, 23 Jun 2021)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (olympics.com, 12 Jul 2022)
Most influential person in career
Her parents. (WomensSportsFDN YouTube channel, 07 Aug 2021)
Philosophy / Motto
"I am not simply competing, but rather, I am performing and really enjoying my passions and emotions on the floor." (teamusa.org, 01 Oct 2019)
Awards
She was one of 10 finalists for the 2020 AAU James E. Sullivan Award, which is presented annually by the Amateur Athletic Union to the top amateur athlete in the United States of America. (aausullivan.org, 23 Mar 2020)
In 2019 she received the NextGen Award for Best Female U20 Athlete of the Year at the Panam Sports Awards. (panamsports.org, 14 Dec 2019)
Additional information
General
BALANCING SPORT AND STUDY
After graduating from high school in 2019, she took a gap year to focus on the 2020 Olympic Games. She then enrolled virtually at Columbia University in New York, NY, United States of America, when the Games were postponed until 2021. By 2022 she was flying from Chicago to New York on Sunday afternoons to attend her classes on Mondays, and then getting back on a plane to return to Chicago in order to train at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center for the rest of the week. "Of course, the support from my parents and my coach is very important, being able to work together and figure out a plan that works. I find that by doing both school and gymnastics, I'm able to do better in both. When I have extra time, I'm able to fill it with something productive." (olympics.com, 12 Jul 2022; WomensSportsFDN YouTube channel, 07 Aug 2021; usagym.org, 04 Aug 2021; LinkedIn profile, 01 Aug 2021)
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Her parents are originally from Lithuania. They moved to the United States of America shortly before Evita was born. (sportas.lt, 21 Jan 2020)
Last update : 2023-08-04
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