Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova, WUGS Gold Medalist, Training at IU for Paris 2024 Olympics

21-year-old Kotryna Teterevkova has moved to the United States to train at Indiana University in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Half of Lithuania’s excellent female breaststroke duo, which also includes World Record holder Ruta Meilutyte, Teterevkova is just the latest breaststroke star to seek out the tutelage of IU head coach Ray Looze, who has been among the most successful breaststroke coaches in the world over the past two decades or so.

Teterevkova makes such a good duo with Meilutyte because, while Meilutyte is argiuably the best women’s sprint breaststroker of all-time, Teterevkova tends to favor the 200 breast. In fact, she’s the Lithuanian Record holder in the 200 breast with a 2:22.86. She swam that time just over a month ago at the World University Games (WUGS), winning gold in the event. Teterevkova actually swept the women’s breast events at WUGS, winning the women’s 50 breast in 30.58 and the 100 breast in 1:06.74.

She also competed for Lithuania at the World Championships in Fukuoka earlier in the summer. She was a finalist in the women’s 200 breast, swimming a 2:24.22 for 6th. She found herself in the unlucky position of finishing 17th in prelims of the women’s 100 breast, where she clocked a 1:06.96, and missed out on advancing to semifinals by just 0.09 seconds. Teterevkova was in a similar position in the 50 breast, where she swam a 30.94 in prelims for 18th place.

Teterevkova was a little more successful at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, where she finished 5th in the 200 breast with a 2:23.90. She was just 0.70 seconds off what it took to earn a medal at those Worlds. Teterevkova also managed to advance to semifinals in the 100 breast, where she would end up finishing 12th.

Teterevkova is, of course, joining Lilly King and Cody Miller in the IU pro breaststroke group. The move is not only beneficial for Teterevkova, who could really benefit from a change in training stimulus, but there should also be an upside for King as well. King had spent the last several years training with Annie Lazor, who was an elite 200 breaststroker as well, but Lazor retired over the summer and transitioned into coaching. The addition of Teterevkova should serve to give King another training partner in the pro group.

Teterevkova competed at the Indiana Cream & Crimson intrasquad a few weeks ago, where she was racing in her first yards meet of her career. Of course, it was just a September intrasquad meet, however, Teterevkova swam pretty well, especially given that she’s not used to racing in yards. She won both women’s breast events, clocking a 1:01.12 in the 100 breast and a 2:13.69 in the 200. She also swam the 200 IM, where she posted a 2:06.93.

When asked about the move to Bloomington, Teterevkova told SwimSwam that she was drawn there because “Indiana has a good breaststroke group and I know Ray [Looze] is a really good breaststroke coach.” She went on to say that “the students here are so motivated and friendly,” adding that she finds the atmosphere to be “inspiring.”

Here are Teterevkova’s career bests (LCM):

• 50 breast – 30.58 (2023)
• 100 breast – 1:06.35 (2022)
• 200 breast – 2:22.86 (2023)
• 400 IM – 4:55.85 (2022)