Raimeda Bucinskyte

Started: She took up the sport in 2013. (sportland.lt, 10 Jan 2024) Reason: "Shooting came into my life by accident. There was a festival for people with an impairment in Siauliai [in Lithuania], and we had the opportunity to try pistol shooting. I found it quite interesting, but after the first few shots it turned out to be a bit boring. It seemed simple and easy, not a sport, just entertainment. But later I realised that the sport takes a lot of work. With each competition I took part in, the results improved and at the same time my appetite for it grew." (sportland.lt, 10 Jan 2024) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (sportas.info, 14 Mar 2022) Awards: She was named Female Para Athlete of the Year for 2022 and 2023 at the Lithuanian Sports Awards. (lrt.lt, 25 Dec 2023, 22 Dec 2022; parateam.lt, 21 Dec 2023) Additional Info: FOCUS MAKES PERFECT She applies attention management exercises to improve her focus in life and sport. "I do simple attention workouts every day. Throughout the day, I find a minute and observe what I am thinking, what I am feeling. I get home and for one minute I try not to think about anything. All this work is due to competition. Shooting requires 60 shots - technically good, without letting in emotions or being nervous about a previous bad shot. It helps in competition because everything has to be controlled: shoulder, hand, wrist, gaze, breathing. If I raise my hand and the thought about the best shooter in the world being next to me, I easily stop myself: wait, now I'm shooting, I don't need to think. I exhale, inhale and concentrate on the shot. It's hardest to keep focused attention for over an hour. In the first 15 minutes of the match, you can control everything if you have a lot of adrenaline. But after that, the brain protects itself from 'burnout' and begins to relax on its own, embraces mild apathy and it becomes difficult to shoot. I'm still learning how to stay focused for a long time and I hope to learn that one day." (15min.lt, 21 Aug 2021)