For the Third Year in a Row, Lithuanian Firefighters Proved to Be the Strongest in the World
At the World Firefighter Challenge Championship, which was held in Las Vegas, the U.S., on 19–24 October 2026, Lithuanian firefighters achieved numerous victories and represented our country with honor. Lithuanian firefighters demonstrated that perseverance, professionalism, team spirit, and determination help achieve the best results.
Following the conclusion of the qualifying rounds for the World Firefighter Challenge Championship in Las Vegas and after tallying the three best individual times, the Lithuanian men’s firefighter team became the winner in the best team category for the third year in a row. This team consisted of Lukas Leonavičius, Firefighter of the 2nd Fire Brigade of Šiauliai Fire and Rescue Board, Rokas Lindenis, Firefighter of the 1st Fire Brigade of Fire and Rescue Board for Strategic Establishment for Mažeikiai, Danielius Vilimas, Firefighter of the 2nd Fire Brigade of Fire and Rescue Board for Strategic Establishment for Mažeikiai, Romualdas Vilimas, Firefighter of Biržai Fire and Rescue Service of Panevėžys Fire and Rescue Board and Karolis Gražinis, Firefighter of the 1st Fire Brigade of Panevėžys Fire and Rescue Board.
Two women were also part of the Lithuanian team that competed in the Championship, namely, Regina Bartkutė, Chief of State Fire Supervision Division of Šiauliai Fire and Rescue Service and Evelina Litvin, Firefighter of 2nd Fire Brigade of Vilnius Fire and Rescue Board. Together, they won gold medals in the women’s OPEN category. Evelina Litvin also won in the mixed category with the firefighter team and in the mixed OPEN category.
During this Championship Lithuanian firefighters won 43 medals in total: 15 gold, 15 silver, and 13 bronze. In terms of the number of medals won, only firefighters from the U.S. and Canada outperformed our country’s top firefighters. All 22 Lithuanian firefighters successfully qualified and advanced to the finals.