Vilnius hot air balloon fest ends

Aug 03, 2000

An international air balloon regata wound down on July 26 in Vilnius. The fourth international hot air balloon contest Eurocentras 2000, the eighth Lithuanian air balloon championship and the World Cities Cup 2000 began last July 28, also in Vilnius.

Lithuanian Rimas Kostiuskevicius earned 12,315 points to win the Eurocentras 2000 and the eighth Lithuanian championship. He was presented a trophy - a glass air balloon replica with the Eurocentras 2000 logo - and a gold medal.

Lithuanian pilot Valerijus Machnorylovas came in second with 11,439 points to take home a silver medal. Gintautas Mockaitis of Kaunas, Lithuania took third place with 11,159 points.

According to a press release by the organizer of the event, Oreivystes Centras, there were five competition flights and 15 assigned tasks executed during the six-day event. The tasks given to pilots and crew to perform were said to be more difficult than those performed at the World and European championships.

The organizers said they plan to host the European Hot Air Balloon Championship as an event within the Eurocentras 2001 program.

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