On June 26-29, the first division of the European Athletics Team Championships took place in Madrid (Spain), where 16 national teams competed. Among them was the Lithuanian team, which for the first time in history had the opportunity to participate in the highest division with the most capable countries of the Old Continent and athletes.
After four days of intense fighting, the Lithuanian national team took the 16th place (178.5 points) and together with the Finns (15th place – 220.5 points) and the Ukrainians (14th place – 231 points) were relegated to the second division. The Italians became champions for the second time in a row (431.5 points), who won 11 out of 37 games. The second place was taken by the Poles (405.5 points), while the third place was taken by the Germans (397 points).
The Lithuanians won a ticket to the Super League in 2023 in Chožuv (Poland), when they took third place in the second division and half a point ahead of the Slovenians. It is the Slovenians, and at the same time the Norwegians and the Belgians, who rise from the second division to the first and after two years we challenge the elite.
More than 40 athletes represented Lithuania in this championship, including 9 Olympians. The track and field athletes collected points in 37 races and improved a bunch of records – the Lithuanian record fell under the feet of Rugilė Miklyčiūtė (pole vault – 4.30 m), five athletes improved their personal records, and thirteen – season records.
The head of the Lithuanian team and Secretary General of the Lithuanian Athletics Federation (LLAF) Nijolė Medvedeva said that it was an honour to participate in a competition of this level: “It is a historic event and an honour. It was a huge challenge and a good experience for the whole team, as we had to start with the best European athletes. When you look at the competitors, the big countries, we are so small, modest, but we had won that place. It is a pity that it was not possible to save the place, although in reality there were not many chances. I think we will return to the second division, and after two years we will fight and try to return to the top division again. We will definitely have such an opportunity if all the strongest participate and everyone is healthy. In 2023, we succeeded, which only proves that it is possible.
During those 2 years, the team will get stronger, and the young athletes, who participated well in this championship with burning eyes and were motivated, will grow even more. We will try to create conditions for them to improve, grow and demonstrate even higher results during those 2 years.”
The third place in the European Team Championship this year was taken by javelin throwers Edis Matusevičius and Liveta Jasiūnaitė. The fourth and fifth places were won by Gabija Galvydytė, who ran the 800 m and 1500 m distances. The discus throwers representing Lithuania also performed solidly – Andrius Gudžius took the fifth place, and Ieva Gumbs – the sixth. Triple jumper Dovilė Kilty (eighth place), high jumper Juozas Baikštys (ninth place), high jumper Urtė Baikštytė (tenth place) and sprinter Gediminas Truskauskas (tenth place) also entered the TOP10.
“We had two prize places, which were won by our javelins. Gabija Galvydytė and Simas Bertašius ran in two races in such conditions and it was really difficult for them. Gabija is really improving a lot, we are happy with her achievements. It was really very difficult for Andrius. It should have been second if the conditions were different. We were expecting a higher place, but he always fights for the team and does everything he can. Respect to him.
The results of our jumpers were not the best this time and we were not able to win the top places, although they can certainly do it. If everyone was healthy and could fully participate in the competition, then those results would be different. There are weak competitions in every country, so we are not the only ones who do not have strong athletes in a certain competition. There were teams that didn’t get any match points or the athletes were disqualified, but we were lucky and we avoided it. I am most happy with the young people, because they were positive and wanted to fight. In such competitions, he set season or personal records, which is the highest achievement. Our hopes for the future are bright,” Medvedeva said.
The LLAF Secretary General emphasized both the features of the youth and the work of the coaches: “The results are really positive. You can see that people are improving. In the past, we did not always achieve seasonal, personal or national records in the main starts. Now there are more and more of them. This means that people have learned to participate and are not afraid. And the coaches properly prepare for the competition so that that form comes on time. The prospect is there, so we will have a real chance of returning to the top league.
This championship is an invaluable experience. The whole team comes together and team spirit emerges – athletes and coaches communicate with each other. There are no better conditions and competitions for bringing together a team. It is a pity that there are no more adult team championships in the Baltic States, and many athletes only dream of team championships and getting into them. Only one athlete participates in one event, and they all want to participate there. For many, this is an opportunity of a lifetime, so they want such competitions, especially young people. Sometimes all kinds of things happen with adults – they don’t want to, they won’t participate, that’s something else.”
Since only one athlete can be delegated to the competition, N. Medvedeva did not hide the fact that there was competition and it was certainly not easy to choose: “In some competitions there is a lot of competition. The point is that the competition takes place at the end of June, so that summer season is just beginning. This year we did not have a full-format LLAF Cup competition, where there was often a qualifier. This time it was difficult to select, because many athletes did not yet have normal starts. It was not easy to form a team, and in some places the athletes had to sacrifice and participate in non-core competitions. For example, in the 400 m hurdles race, Kaunas residents ran who did not have a training session in the stadium this year. And how to prepare for the 400 m hurdles race in the arena? You can’t do that. There are such difficult situations that you need to get out of.”
According to N. Medvedeva, it was probably the most difficult thing to choose a representative in the women’s triple jump and men’s long jump events, because there are at least a few choices: “It was especially difficult to choose. For example, in the women’s triple jump event, as many as 3 athletes were able to participate and this year recorded similar results, and only one had to be chosen. They looked not only at the results of the last winter season, but also at the results of the previous year, performances in international competitions and accumulated experience. A lot is also determined by the fact that we need to look ahead, after all, another European Team Championship awaits us in two years.”
The Lithuanian national team will compete in the second division on June 22-24, 2027. Teams from Ukraine, Finland, Turkey, Ireland, Denmark, Austria, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania, Estonia, Israel, Serbia, Iceland, Luxembourg and Bosnia and Herzegovina will also participate here.
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Photo by Alfredas Pliadis
