US citizen Genevieve Green Angerame taking the plunge for Lithuania

Born in Lithuania, Genevieve, who is competing in Edinburgh, was adopted as a baby by a family in the United States and grew up in the US state of Connecticut.

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It is unusual to hear an American accent among the multi-lingual divers at the Glasgow 2018 European Championships, so Genevieve Green Angerame certainly stands out.

The 19-year-old is competing for the Baltic state of Lithuania at Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool. Born in Lithuania, she was adopted by a family in the United States as a baby and grew up in the US state of Connecticut.

More people live in her home state than in the land of her birth, with its population of just 2.8 million people. Green Angerame has dual citizenship, but her mother made sure she kept close to Lithuania’s culture during her childhood.

"My mother's side of the family is also from Lithuania. So she made sure we practised traditions and still have the same love for the country," she said. "That means holidays eating certain foods and painting Easter eggs in wax and dye. 

"I am very proud to represent my country. They don’t have any other platform divers so the fact that I can perform for them is special."

Angerame used to compete as a gymnast but found that she was growing too fast to make a success of the sport. At home in the United States, she dives for Ohio State University, where she is studying politics and sociology.

"I was too tall for gymnastics. I did it as a young child but I got taller," she said. "Then I found out that I loved the water. I love what I do."

The Lithuanian diver failed by just one place to make the final of the women’s 10m platform on Wednesday, finishing 13th in the preliminaries. She will also be competing in the 3m springboard and 3m synchronised events in Edinburgh at the weekend.

"I could compete for the US but I wouldn’t be able to do multiple events," she said. "Here we have the opportunity to do synchro, so it is more opportunity for me."

Glasgow 2018 is Angerame’s second European Championships after she took part in the 2016 event in London. She missed last year’s edition after undergoing emergency surgery to remove a troublesome appendix.

"I have been back in training since September," she said. “(Long-term) I am training to take part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games."