The European The championship is almost in its final stretch. On the penultimate day, two Lithuanian representatives – javelin thrower Edis Matusevičius and heptathlete Beatričė Juškevičiūtė – made it into the top ten, runner Gabija Galvydytė’s star shone once again, and racewalker Austėja Kavaliauskaitė performed successfully in the new distance.
In the grip of illness
One of the three best Lithuanian achievements in these championships – Lithuanian record holder E. Matusevičius can be proud of that. In the javelin throw final held on Saturday, he threw the implement 81.07 m with his best attempt and finished in 6th place. Although this is a very high achievement, the athlete himself did not hide his slight disappointment after the final.
“Not bad, of course. Steadily, just like throughout this season. Of course, it wasn’t astronomical how much you had to throw to win a medal – which was a bit frustrating, but I wasn’t in my best condition today. “It is what it is,” said E. Matusevičius, adding that, just like in the selection, he also participated in the final feeling unwell: “I took my medication. Now everything is fine. However, I didn’t feel my body the way I normally do. Maybe that somewhat tripped me up… “Interestingly, the javelin throw qualifying competition took place in Birmingham at a temperature of 35 degrees, whereas in the final it was only 18 degrees. Still, according to the athlete, this did not interfere.
Much more smiles appeared on the athlete’s face when asked about the high jumper wedding with high jumper Urte Baikštytė, which will take place next week. “Yes, best wishes to Urte. We will get married next week. Wait. Urtė is my biggest fan. I always feel her support. Whether you succeed or not, it definitely motivates me and helps me achieve results. Once again, best wishes, Urte,” the javelin thrower smiled.
Five days – four starts
Runner G. Galvydytė continued her impressive performance at the European Championships. Just 12 hours after the 800 m final, where she managed to secure 4th place, the athlete competed in the 1500 m heats. There, the Lithuanian completed the distance in 4 minutes 10.87 seconds. and took 7th place in Group A. Six athletes advanced to the final, with her closest rival beating the Lithuanian by only 0.03 seconds. Among all participants, Gabija’s result was seventeenth.
Although the athlete did not hide her slight disappointment, she also emphasized that she is happy to be able to rest. “A lot of emotions…” I didn’t see the opponent who recently took the lead. Just like me, I made it to the 800 m final yesterday… It’s painful. But at the moment, I would say, maybe that’s enough? Lots of emotions, a sleepless night, mixed caffeine, adrenaline… Extreme fatigue. Not in my legs, just a little bit unwell. To sum it all up, I’m glad the focus was on the 800 m event,” said the decorated athlete.
She added that she definitely does not intend to end the season yet. “I am very close to the ‘Ultimate Championship.’ I would still like to make it to the “Diamond League” – whether in the 800 or the 1500 series. I would rather run the 800 m because I feel my work in this event is not finished yet; I believe I still have fuel in my tank. I would like to run more, but of course, it’s very difficult when there are so many good runners in the 800 m event,” G. Galvydytė reflected. Finally, she summarized: “Only now am I somewhat disoriented about where I am. I’m really looking forward to getting some sleep.”
A determined fight and a desire to finish
Heptathlete B. Juškevičiūtė, who fought titanically for two days, was already dreaming of rest. On the second day of the competition, she improved her personal long jump record (6.33 m), performed excellently in the javelin throw (47.10 m, 5th place), scored a total of 6308 points, and finished in 10th place. It was precisely the personal best that brought the athlete the most joy.
“The long jump has long been an almost impossible event for me. Although it feels like running with hurdles, even though I know I can do it, there’s something on my mind – it’s scary, and only three attempts, you pedal twice, it’s a tragedy, scary again. Maybe childhood also played a role, since I kept hearing that Beatrice definitely wouldn’t be able to dance. I’ve been training for ten years and it just didn’t work out. Finally! Trust has also emerged. Last year, I definitely wouldn’t have thought about such a result,” the athlete smiled. By the way, she became the only Lithuanian who managed to add a PB (personal best) to her name in the summary of this European Championship.
Summing up her performance at the championship, B. Juškevičiūtė compared it to a “roller coaster.” “Am I satisfied? You know, as always – something doesn’t fit… But we are moving forward. A couple of years ago, there was nothing like that in Rome (6025 points and 13th place), now I am close to my career best. I improve it every year at the beginning of the season, but later something happens and I don’t even get close during the season. Whenever competitions are important, nothing good ever happens. At least it’s close now. Next time, I would like to have that record in all the all-around events,” the athlete said.
Meanwhile, racewalker A. Kavaliauskaitė competed in a relatively new distance for these athletes – a half marathon. In the center of Birmingham, the track and field athlete took 1 hour, 43 minutes, and 16 seconds. and took 25th place. After the finish, the athlete said she was happy that she managed to complete the distance at all.
“I don’t rate it as highly as we might have hoped before the competition. I didn’t feel good throughout the entire preparation, at the training camp in Armenia. There were also minor traumas, and it was difficult psychologically… I’m glad I managed to finish today,” the racewalker concluded.
Photo by Alfredas Pliadis
