Paula Radziulytė

In the interwar period Paula Radziulytė was arguably the best sportswoman in all of Lithuania. In addition to being an accomplished track and field athlete, Radziulytė also excelled in basketball, winning multiple titles across both sports. He first track and field titles at the Lithuanian championships came in 1923 with victory in the 400 metres and the shot put. The following year she retained both titles, in addition to winning gold in the long jump. She continued to dominate in multiple disciplines, becoming the national champion in the 60 metres (1926–27), 100 metres (1928, 1932, 1934–35), 200 metres (1927–29, 1932, 1934–35), 800 metres (1928–29), 1,000 metres (1927), 4 x 100 metres relay (1926–28, 1935), long jump (1927), and high jump (1927). Radziulytė also set multiple national records in all of those disciplines, including four each in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and shot put. In 1928 she became the first woman to compete for Lithuania at the Olympics when she ran in the 800 metres at the Amsterdam Games.

As a basketball player Radziulytė represented LFLS Kaunas, which saw her win the Lithuanian championship on five occasions (1927–28, 1934, 1936–37). In 1938 she won gold in the basketball tournament at the Lithuanian National Olympics, as well as silver at the EuroBasket Women competition in Roma. During World War II Radziulytė initially moved to Germany, before moving to Switzerland and Australia, and eventually settling in Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1950s.

Personal Best: 800 – 2:45.2 (1929).