The tragic loss: Aurimas Klemas, Lithuania’s Olympic hope in taekwondo, died after the tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA). Providing support/help to the family of the deceased for his memorial, burial and commemoration.

On 2 February 2018, Aurimas Klemas, one the most promising and talented taekwondo fighters in the world, died at the age of 19 due to cardiac arrest. The tragedy occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA), where Aurimas participated at “US Open 2018”. Aurimas Klemas was the member of Taekwondo Olympic Team, prize-winner of European and World Championships, who was included in the list of athletes preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Aurimas Klemas was born on 25/05/1998, in Šiauliai (Lithuania), he grew up and lived in Bertužiai village, Kairiai ward, Šiauliai district. Aurimas grew up in the family of eight children, he was involved in active sports and his path to taekwondo was quite simple - after talking with a neighbour, who was a taekwondo coach, his parents took him to taekwondo training. He soon became very serious about doing sports and continuously proved his abilities. Aurimas spent a lot of time in the yard and liked doing various sports: he played square, soccer, ran long distances - he also won several medals. From the earliest school years A. Klemas was involved in sporting activities and events.

From the very beginning, when Aurimas chose the martial arts - taekwondo, he showed that he came to win. When the coach met A. Klemas for the first time he saw the upcoming champion, medallist in him. As Aurimas said, training/fights were not easy, but they allowed him to gain good experience and glory, which he earned all around the world: “I have defeated those who I did not expect to defeat” said Aurimas, who chose the path of a fighter. A lot of good and bad things happened, Aurimas travelled and worked a lot, but in the end he was able to achieve great results. Aurimas mainly trained together with his older brother Andrius Klemas, who is also well-known in the world of taekwondo, is the prize-winner and medallist of European and World Championships, following in his younger brother’s footsteps.

A. Klemas had 36 registered fights and won 20 out of them. On December 2017 Aurimas won the bronze medal at the European Championship in Bulgaria and became the first medallist in the history of taekwondo in Lithuania. The taekwondo fighter from Šiauliai was included in the list of candidates of the Lithuanian Olympic team and was preparing for the trial of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. When Aurimas appeared in the TV show “Lietuvos mokyklų žaidynės” (Lithuanian Schools Games) he said that his main goal and dream was to go to the Olympic Games: “It would be a victory to just go there and walk together with the Olympic team during the opening ceremony. It is my current goal.”. Aurimas holds the 13th position in the world ranking of 1500 taekwondo fighters.

The death of Aurimas Klemas is tragic and grievous loss to the world and his family.

The family of Aurimas Klemas needs financial support in order to honour and bury the deceased as well as to create the memorial by establishing the organization, which will help other athletes and will honour the memory of Aurimas Klemas as well as commemorate his accomplishments in sports.

I appeal to good-natured people, who could contribute to this noble goal. Thanks to your kindness, it will not be forgotten that the person, who grew up in a small village and the big family, where he experienced deprivation and difficult conditions, was able to achieve so much. It shall be a reminder that every person can achieve what he wants, regardless of his social situation.

“It is not easy to fight in the ring, but it makes you stronger and encourages you to fight to the end, although every cell in your body resists, something from the inside pushes you to go on, encourages you not to give up. After a fight, the problems of everyday life only make you laugh” said Aurimas Klemas, one of the most talented, gifted, promising and motivated taekwondo fighters in the world.

The person responsible for the interests/remembrance of the deceased Aurimas Klemas:

Brother Darius Klemas, email: DariusKlemas@gmail.com

Statistics of fights, achievements and wins:

WTF License #: LTU-1510

Olympic Kyorugi Ranking M-80 kg Total Points: 61.96

Event G-Rank Event Date Location Place Ranking Points

WTE European Olympic Weight Category Championships 2017 G-1 7-9 December 2017 Sofia, Bulgaria 3 3.60

13th Tournoi International de Paris (French Open) G-1 18-19 November 2017 Paris, France 3 3.60

Galeb Belgrade Trophy-Serbia Open 2017 G-1 14-15 October 2017 Belgrade, Serbia 0.00

Riga Open 2017 G-1 30-1 October 2017 Riga, Latvia 1 10.00

2017 Polish Open-Warsaw Cup G-1 16-17 September 2017 Warsaw, Poland 5 2.16

2017 WTF World Taekwondo Championships G-12 24-30 June 2017 Muju, Korea 9 18.14

Ukraine Open Cup G-1 12-14 May 2017 Kharkiv, Ukraine 5 2.16

2nd WTF President`s Cup - European Region G-2 27-30 April 2017 Athens, Greece 9 3.02

Sofia Open 2017 G-1 4-5 March 2017 Sofia, Bulgaria 9 1.51

The 5th Fujairah Open G-1 23-25 February 2017 Fujairah, UAE 9 1.51

2017 U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship G-2 31-3 February 2017 Las Vegas, USA 1 15.46

15th Galeb Belgrade Trophy - Serbia Open 2016 G-1 29-30 October 2016 Belgrade, Serbia 17 0.80

World Kyorugi Ranking M-74 kg Total Points: 62.90

Event G-Rank Event Date Location Place Ranking Points

13th Tournoi International de Paris (French Open) G-1 18-19 November 2017 Paris, France 3 3.60

Galeb Belgrade Trophy-Serbia Open 2017 G-1 14-15 October 2017 Belgrade, Serbia 0.00

Riga Open 2017 G-1 30-1 October 2017 Riga, Latvia 1 10.00

2017 Polish Open-Warsaw Cup G-1 16-17 September 2017 Warsaw, Poland 5 2.16

2017 WTF World Taekwondo Championships G-12 24-30 June 2017 Muju, Korea 9 18.14

Ukraine Open Cup G-1 12-14 May 2017 Kharkiv, Ukraine 5 2.16

2nd WTF President`s Cup - European Region G-2 27-30 April 2017 Athens, Greece 9 3.02

Sofia Open 2017 G-1 4-5 March 2017 Sofia, Bulgaria 9 1.51

The 5th Fujairah Open G-1 23-25 February 2017 Fujairah, UAE 9 1.51

2017 U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship G-2 31-3 February 2017 Las Vegas, USA 1 20.00

15th Galeb Belgrade Trophy - Serbia Open 2016 G-1 29-30 October 2016 Belgrade, Serbia 17 0.80

World Kyorugi Ranking M-80 kg Total Points: 3.60

Event G-Rank Event Date Location Place Ranking Points

WTE European Olympic Weight Category Championships 2017 G-1 7-9 December 2017 Sofia, Bulgaria 3 3.60

World Kyorugi Ranking M-68 kg Total Points: 21.52

Event G-Rank Event Date Location Place Ranking Points

2016 Riga Open International Taekwondo Championships G-1 8-9 October 2016 Riga, Latvia 3 2.70

23rd POLISH OPEN & 19th WARSAW CUP G-1 17-18 September 2016 Warsaw, Poland 9 1.13

ETU European Taekwondo Championships 2016 G-4 19-22 May 2016 Montreux, Switzerland 5 6.48

1st WTF President's Cup-European Region G-2 7-10 April 2016 Bonn, Germany 33 1.11

43rd Lotto Dutch Open Taekwondo Championships 2016 G-1 11-13 March 2016 Eindhoven, Netherlands 5 1.62

4th Fujairah Open Taekwondo Championship 2016 G-2 G-2 23-25 February 2016 Fujairah, U.A.E 9 2.27

21st Zagreb Croatia Open G-1 7-8 November 2015 Zagreb, Croatia 65 0.26

2015 WTF WORLD TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS CHELYABINSK G-12 12-18 May 2015 Chelyabinsk, Russia 33 4.45

42nd Lotto Dutch Open Taekwondo Championships 2015 G-2 14-15 March 2015 Eindhoven, Netherland 33 0.74

3rd Fujairah Open Taekwondo Championships G-1 5-7 February 2015 Fujairah, UAE 9 0.76