At the World U20 Championships held in Eugene (USA), two Lithuanian stars shone – eighteen-year-old sprinters Ieva Šadžiūtė and Martynas Kolupaila competed in the 100 m run. Although they did not manage to overcome the qualification barrier or reach the semifinals, both agree that the very opportunity to compete with the strongest peers on the planet is priceless, and the lessons learned will help them achieve even higher results in the future.
Without the help of the wind
The first Lithuanian to start at the championships across the Atlantic was I. Šadžiūtė – she completed the distance in 11.83 seconds, placed 6th in her heat, and finished 45th overall among 64 athletes. The runner’s recorded result was the fifth in her career, and she missed her personal best set this June by 0.12 seconds.
“I came to the championship wanting to improve my personal best. It would have been very nice to reach the semifinals as well. Still, I had to run with zero wind – there was no one to push me, and the heat that hour wasn’t what we sprinters like, so maybe the result isn’t what I had hoped for. Still, I am very happy to have been able to represent Lithuania at competitions of this level,” shares I. Šadžiūtė. She adds that she is impressed by the stadium and the atmosphere.
“The stadium is impressive, the path, as everyone says, is very fast. The atmosphere itself is wonderful, surrounded by amazing, well-known athletes, it’s nice to be nearby, to watch how they warm up and prepare for the start… Truly invaluable experience; I have done what I can best at the moment, and now I will continue working and, hopefully, next season will bring me amazing results,” the sprinter concludes.
A cold tripped her up.
M. Kolupaila shares similar impressions after the championship start. He completed the 100 m in 10.64 seconds, was also sixth in his heat, and finished 53rd overall among 70 athletes who started. Still, the run itself was not so enjoyable, as health problems got in the way.
“I don’t consider the start to be the best, because the day before the competition I got sick and caught a cold. In the morning, I had to go to the medical point, so I was far from my best shape (editor’s note: M. Kolupaila’s personal best, set in mid-July, was 10.40 seconds). The start definitely wasn’t what I wanted and hoped for,” says the sprinter. Still, like I. Šadžiūtė, he was impressed by the entire championship experience.
“The stadium is the best I’ve ever been to. The surface is very fast, and the view is impressive. There were quite a lot of spectators, although given the huge size of the stadium, it might not have been noticeable. The weather conditions are also very good – the warmth is favorable for sprinting, although during my running there was already a headwind. The World Championship gave me even more experience and new connections. It’s really nice to be in such a place among the world’s elite and future stars – it’s truly an incredible feeling!” – smiles the young track and field athlete.
By the way, together with javelin thrower Orinta Navikaitė , he was selected in the silver 30 in this year’s Lithuanian Young Sports Stars selection, so their start in Eugene crowned an already impressive season.
Photo by Aaron Bui.
