On August 1-3, the renovated Palanga Stadium will host the Lithuanian Athletics Championships, during which attention will also be paid to young athletes. On Saturday, at 5:35 p.m., the “Sportland” run in a circle (400 m) will take place at the Palanga Central Stadium (Sporto St. 3). We invite children aged 4-6 to participate free of charge and become part of the Lithuanian Athletics Championship.
Together with the children, the distance will be covered by Lithuanian record holders and multiple champions Simas Bertašius and Giedrius Valinčius. By the way, both athletes will start in the 1500 m race on Friday, and on Saturday they will overcome the 800 m distance. Sportland 400 m runners will have special numbers, and immediately after the finish they will be treated to ice cream.
“The first match in the stadium was not the most pleasant. Somewhere in the seventh grade, I ran the 600 m distance and I was far from a prize winner. It seems that even one very talented lady has overtaken (laughs). I started running to catch up with my older sister, who was running at the time, and to be the fastest among my friends. Later, I wanted to be the fastest among my classmates and in the whole city. That’s how my desire to be the fastest grew,” G. Valinčius said about the beginning of his career.
The athlete has become the Lithuanian champion 6 times, and this year he also joined the ranks of record holders when he improved the national record for 10 km road running.
“I was never afraid to experiment: I tried both sprint and longer distances. It was only when I matured that I realized that it is not the fastest that brings pleasure, because there will always be faster ones. The pleasure comes from the freedom of movement – the ability to run far and fast when I want. In addition, acquaintances, good emotions and memories, which were created for running, always pay off all the training,” said G. Valinčius, who has competed in the European team, cross-country, road running, U20 and U23 championships.
S. Bertašius has become the Lithuanian champion as many as 38 times, in addition, he holds national records in the 1000 m, 1500 m, 1500 m indoors, 1 mile and 3000 m.
“I grew up in a small village in Raseiniai district, so athletics opened the door to wider waters for me – I had the opportunity to go to competitions all over Lithuania, and later abroad. At that time, training was like entertainment for me, which I was looking forward to very much. I try to maintain this attitude even now – not to lose the joy of physical activity. During all this time, sport has taught me a lot, especially discipline and attentiveness,” S. Bertašius shared his memories.
The middle-distance runner has competed in the World and European Indoor Championships. In addition, in the Old Continent Adult, Cross-Country, Road Running and Team Championships.
“In one of the first competitions in Palanga, I confused the start time and participated in the 1000 m run instead of the 3000 m. Later, after 20 minutes, I had to run a distance of 3000 meters. It was a good lesson that I don’t forget to this day,” S. Bertašius recalled his cheerful debut.
Parents will be able to accompany their children on the track, and participants are asked to gather at the central entrance to the arena before the start (until 5:15 p.m.).
The Lithuanian Championship will be broadcast live on the lrt.lt portal for all three days, and on Saturday 16:00–19:00 and Sunday 10:30–12:30 you will be able to watch the competition on the LRT Plius channel. In addition, you can find broadcasts and recordings on our Facebook and Youtube channels.
lengvoji.lt
Photo by Alfredas Pliadis
