Adolfas Akelaitis (16 January 1910 – 21 December 2007) was a Lithuanian

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

er and farmer. Akelaitis would compete at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

, representing

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. He would be one of the first Lithuanian athletics competitors to compete at an Olympic Games and would be the first Lithuanian athlete to compete in the men's high jump at a Summer Games. There, he would place 33rd in the qualifying round and would not advance to the finals. Later on, he would join the

Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...

and studied at the

University of Liège The University of Liège (), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium founded in 1817 and based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French (language), French. History The university was foun ...

and

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

. He would then work at Lietukas, the largest import-export company in the nation, and would move and later set up an import-export in the United States in 1938. There, he would meet his wife and would reside in multiple

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

sites but would eventually reside in Raritan Township in New Jersey after buying a farm there in 1946. Akelaitis would work as a farmer and would reside in

Colleyville, Texas Colleyville is a city in northeastern Tarrant County, Texas, United States, centrally located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. A wealthy suburb of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Colleyville was originally a small farm town in the 19th century. ...

after his wife's death.

Biography

Adolfas Akelaitis was born on 16 January 1910 in

Marijampolė Marijampolė (; also known by Marijampolė#Names, several other names) is the Capital city, capital of Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The city's population stood ...

in what was then the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. Akelaitis would compete at the

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, representing

in men's athletics. He would be one of the first Lithuanian athletics competitors to compete at an Olympic Games and would be the first Lithuanian athlete to compete in the high jump at a Summer Games. He would compete in the qualifying round of the men's high jump on 29 July against 35 other competitors. There, he would record a height of 1.60 metres at his best, placing last out of the 33 competitors that completed the event. He would not advance to the finals held on the same day. After the 1928 Summer Games, Akelaitis would serve in the

. For his education, he would study the French language at the

and business at the

. He would then work at Lietukas, the largest import-export company in the nation. In 1938, he would move to the United States and started an import-export corporation in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. There, he would meet his soon wife Alice Pelkus and later marry in September 1939. They would reside in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

and later

Rockville Centre Rockville Centre, commonly abbreviated as RVC, is an incorporated village located in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 26,016 at the time of the 2020 cen ...

, but would settle in Raritan Township in New Jersey after buying a farm there in 1946. From then on, Akelaitis would live as a farmer. After his wife's death, he would reside in

in 2003 until his death on 21 December 2007.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Akelaitis, Adolfas 1910 births 2007 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics Lithuanian male high jumpers Olympic athletes for Lithuania