Palanga, which has earned the title of European Sports City of 2026, will receive a group of athletics lovers on the first weekend of summer – the resort will host the traditional Lithuanian Athletics Federation (LLAF) cups, as well as team competitions of sports clubs. Several hundred of the country’s most capable track and field athletes will participate there, including Olympic runners Modesta Justė Morauskaitė, Gediminas Truskauskas, triple jumpers Diana Zagainova, Aina Grikšaitė, Adas Dambrauskas, who is named the country’s fastest person, and rising javelin throwing star Orinta Navikaitė. For some athletes, this will be the first competition of the season, but they are already expected to set personal or even national records, as well as norms to the most important championships of the year.
Pleasant excitement before the return
Olympian, Lithuanian record holder, runner M. J. Morauskaitė says she is looking forward to the first start of the summer season – after several springs, when preparation was disrupted by health problems, this year she was able to return to smooth work again. Therefore, the main goal is to check how you managed to prepare for the season. “In the spring, we had two training camps – we camped in Turkey for a few weeks, then another two and a half – Cyprus. I am very happy about this, because for the last few years the preparation for the summer has been hampered by injuries, last spring, among other things, knee surgery was performed. And now the preparation was really smooth, so I’m really looking forward to the competition “ It’s interesting to find out what state my body is in at the moment, what shape I managed to achieve during the preparation,” says the experienced track and field athlete, who specializes in the 400 m distance.
She adds that it is always fun to compete in Palanga. “A lot of the audience always gathers in this resort and supports the athletes. In addition, last year the stadium was lined with a new Conica surface, which is definitely more fun and of higher quality, especially for competitions. Maybe the coastal winds are a bit annoying, but even in the Vilnius stadium it is often windy, so you can’t order air, and the atmosphere in Palanga is always a lot of fun,” – smiles M. J. Morauskaitė.
After the LLAF Cup competition, the athlete will participate in the competitions that will also take place in Palanga on June 17 World Athletics Continental Tour bronze competition “Cosma Cup”, Later, several more commercial launches await, and the main goal is August 10-16. The European Championship will take place in Birmingham (UK). “I want to return to the 400-meter elite again,” the runner concludes.
Rising young star
The same goal, albeit somewhat timidly, is set by the young javelin thrower O. Navikaitė. She won a bronze medal in August last year at the Tampere (Finland) European Junior (U20) Athletics Championships, and now she is decisively moving towards the adult championships. The 20-year-old athlete started this season by improving her career record and throwing the javelin 56.63 m, later taking part in the first ” World Athletics“ In the bronze competition of the continental tour in the Czech Republic and there, he took fifth place, after which he had several more successful starts in Lithuania. This allowed her to establish herself in the 25th place of qualification for the European Championship, at least for the time being, (the 30 best javelin throwers of the continent will compete in the championships).
She says she expects stability in the LLAF Cup competition. “The beginning of the season was really pleasantly surprising, I am happy with both the personal record and the first trip completely alone to the bronze competition. It’s really nice that the work is yielding results, so I would like to maintain stability and extend a good series of competitions in the competition in Palanga “, says O. Navikaitė. The young athlete adds that she has much more important goals. “PI want to stay healthy, without injuries. To keep working, not to burn out, especially since I have just entered the U23 group. If all this succeeds, if there is good athletic form and stable results, then it would definitely be possible and wonderful to qualify for the European Adult Championship “, the javelin thrower sums up.
The LLAF Cup competition will start on Friday (June 5) at 2:30 p.m. in the shot put, O. Navikaitė’s javelin throw is scheduled for 4:05 p.m., M. J. Morauskaitė’s 400 m run is scheduled for the same day at 4:25 p.m. A lot of intrigue and perhaps even a Lithuanian record is expected in the men’s 4×100 m relay run (with A. Dambrauskas, G. Truskauskas, start at 6:55 p.m.). Perhaps the most anticipated start on Saturday (June 6) is the triple jump competition that will start at 2:35 p.m. (with D. Zagainova, A. Grikšaitė). Admission to the event is free.
Photo by Alfredas Pliadis
