On March 20-22, the World Indoor Athletics Championships took place in Toruń (Poland). The representatives of Lithuania performed well in it – Multi-athlete Beatričė Juškevičiūtė, who made her debut in the championships, took 9th place, while middle-distance runner Gabija Galvydytė was one step away from the final of the 1500 m race. As soon as the winter season ends, the track and field athletes promise to start preparing for the summer immediately.

The first pancake did not shine

Although B. Juškevičiūtė, who trains across the Atlantic, certainly does not lack experience in various international competitions and championships, this World Indoor Championship was her debut. However, the first pancake did not disappoint – the athlete, who fought with the most capable multi-athletes on the planet, scored 4392 points in the pentathlon event and took 9th place.

Beatrice’s best performance was in the 60 m hurdles (8.23 seconds) and the shot put (14.45 m) – she was fourth in both events. In the high jump, the athlete covered 1.66 m (12th place), in the long jump – 5.87 m (11th place), and ran the 800 m in 2 minutes 16.24 seconds. (10th place). In all five races, Beatričė recorded the best results of the season. When asked in which competition she felt the best, the track and field athlete answers without hesitation. “In the push of the ball. Finally, I feel that I don’t have to think much and everything works out naturally. Last year I had a bit of back problems, so I couldn’t work on strength as much as I needed. At the beginning of this year, I managed to do a lot, so I feel strong and the ball doesn’t seem so heavy anymore,” smiles B. Juškevičiūtė.

She adds that this championship was only an intermediate stop in anticipation of the summer. “I didn’t really know what to expect, because we started training for technical races only a few months ago. Now we have a very good indicator of where we are improving and where we still need to work more. From Poland, I will immediately go back to the USA and start preparing for the heptathlon – the first competition is already waiting for me in mid-April,” the track and field athlete shares her upcoming plans.

Decisive second

At that time, G. Galvydytė was just one step away from the final of the 1500 m run at the world championships held in Poland – she covered the distance in 4 minutes 17.28 seconds and took the fourth place in her qualification run. Three fastest participants of each run made it to the final. Only 1.03 seconds separated the Lithuanian track and field athlete from the third place, and in the final standings she took 18th place.

Although there was certainly sadness and bitterness about not making it to the final, G. Galvydytė says she is glad that she gave her all. “As usual in championships, the running was very tactical. In training, we are preparing to have a strong finish a lot and I really trusted him. The day was good for me, I completed the last 400 meters really very quickly and showed that I was a contender to at least get to the final. However, the opponents had an even better day. Let’s not forget that I ran with a European champion, a multiple American champion. I missed it, it’s a pity, but I did everything I could,” says the multiple Lithuanian champion, record holder and Olympian.

She adds that despite some organizational problems, the championships in Toruń were truly inspiring. “When we arrived at the hotel at night, we found out that there was a mistake and we had to go elsewhere. We settled about 1-1.5 hours from Toruń, really quite a stretch of road. Other teams were staying closer to the venue, our hotel was one of the furthest. It caused a bit of inconvenience, but in general the atmosphere was very good, the track in the arena was also very good. It’s nice when the World Championship is held in Europe, I gained a good experience,” summarizes G. Galvydytė.

This championship crowned an impressive winter season – during which Gabija improved as many as 3 Lithuanian records (800, 1000 and 1500 m short course), fulfilled two standards for the planet’s indoor championships (800 and 1500 m) and established herself even more in the world’s elite.

Now a week’s rest in Lithuania awaits, and on April 1, the runner will fly back to the USA, where she will start preparations for the summer season. The main start is on August 10-16 The European Championship will take place in Birmingham (United Kingdom). It is expected to have a large team of Lithuanian track and field athletes there.

Photo by D. Kibirkščis.