The star of young Lithuanian high jumper Redas Šiuipys continues to shine not only at home but also in international competitions. In July, at the European U18 Championships in Rieti, Italy, he fell just one step short of the podium. Now, the 17-year-old has claimed sixth place at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. Although his achievements are already impressive, the athlete makes no secret of even greater ambitions.
Olympic debut
The Šiauliai-born athlete, coached by Juzefa and Juozas Baikštys, began his performance at the Iba Mar Diop stadium complex in Dakar without a single mistake, clearing 1.80 m, 1.90 m, 1.97 m, and 2.02 m on his first attempts. However, all three attempts to clear the bar at 2.06 m were unsuccessful. This result secured Šiuipys a strong sixth place, though the young athlete says he had hoped to perform even better.
“I wouldn’t rate my performance as my best, because I really could have done better. It’s a shame my coach wasn’t in Dakar, as it would have been much easier – communicating remotely made it harder for her to understand the jump. It’s disappointing, but I don’t think this is the end,” admits Šiuipys, not hiding his disappointment.
He adds that the competition conditions may not have helped either. “It was really hot and humid in Dakar… On top of that, the track surface was very hard. Well, but the conditions were the same for everyone,” the athlete smiles. Asked how he would assess his overall Olympic experience, Šiuipys is similarly brief: “I’d say it was pretty good, though maybe one downside was that the stadium was very far from the Olympic village.”
The high jump gold in the Senegalese capital went to South African athlete Mthobisi le Roux, who cleared 2.16 m, while the silver was won by China’s Sen Liu with a result of 2.14 m.
One step from bronze
Four months earlier, in mid-July, at the European U18 Championships in Rieti, Šiuipys set both a season and an overall personal best of 2.09 m, finishing fourth. He fell just short of bronze – Germany’s Jan Ungeheuer, who took third place, achieved an identical result but needed fewer attempts to do so.
Incidentally, in Rieti, Šiuipys also had the opportunity to try his hand at the triple jump, but the qualification round for that event took place just a few hours before the high jump final, so it was decided to focus on his main event.
Before departing for Dakar, the young athlete made no secret of his dream of becoming an Olympic champion one day. Although that goal will have to wait, Šiuipys has no plans to stop – he intends to return to training in the near future and keep improving.
Two more athletes
The first Lithuanian athlete to compete in Dakar was sprinter Simona Šlapšinskaitė. In the first semi-final of the 400 m, she finished the distance in 58.63 seconds, placing seventh in her heat and thirteenth overall among all participants.
On Tuesday, November 10, Lithuania’s third athlete in Dakar will take to the track – race walker Justė Andrijauskaitė, who will compete in the final of the 5,000 m race walk event.
Photo. Martín De Álava Pérez
