On Friday, in Bergen (Norway), in the evening session of the European U23 Athletics Championships, high jumper Ignas Bitinas and runner Karolina Bliujutė competed. The latter finished 24th in the 10000 m run (36 minutes 34.25 seconds), while I. Bitinas took 15th place in the high jump qualification (2.13 m).

12 athletes made it to the final of the high jump, and the result of the last participant was 2.16 m. I. Bitinas also tried to overcome this height, but without success. It is precisely 2.16 m that is the personal record of a Lithuanian, which was achieved this year. In Bergen, the track and field athlete overcame heights of 1.95 m, 2.00 m, 2.05 m, 2.09 m in the first attempt and a height of 2.13 m in the third attempt.

“The competition itself was very tiring, because in Lithuania you will not participate in a high jump competition for an hour and a half. The body is tired, at 2.16 m the first two attempts seemed powerless. I didn’t have to play with those 2.13 m where I had to do extra tests. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t manage to beat 2.16m, but for the most part I’m happy with the performance. A decent result. It wasn’t that I couldn’t fly to Lithuania and it would be ashamed,” I. Bitinas commented on his performance.

It was the second European High Jumper Championship, and the debut took place in 2023 at the European U20 Championships. At that time, the Lithuanian did not manage to overcome the initial height, and I. Bitinas remembers the championship itself with a smile: “Compared to the last Europe, it is much better now. There I was thrown into a cage with the lions. Completely dealt with me. Now I felt completely faint, there was no excitement or anxiety. The initial heights were successful. This European Championship went much better.”

The athlete, who improved his personal record a month and a half ago, will start at the Lithuanian Championships in Palanga on August 1-3. According to I. Bitinas, the increase in results this year was determined by hard work: “We changed the running, now it is longer. We are working, we are trying and there were plans to dance so much, maybe even more. The result still has to come up at some point. We see the future, and next year I really plan to dance even more.”

K. Bliujutė, who ran the 10000 m distance for the third time in her career, said that the result was as she expected: “This is how it should have been. I wasn’t going to do it at all. I didn’t run for two months because I had a severe injury. I’m glad I participated, but it’s a pity that I disappointed the coach and other Lithuanians with the result. I did very badly.”

K. Bliujutė, who tried the 10000 m race this season, set her personal record in mid-April (35 minutes 14.73 seconds). Another run awaited in mid-May (36 minutes 14.96 seconds). According to the athlete, she likes this race: “I ran for the first time in April and met the norm. The next time I ran in Texas when it was very hot. This is the third time in my life. The race is very good, you don’t have to run so fast, which is good, because I don’t have that much speed. I like this distance and it’s a pity that there was no time to prepare.”

K. Bliujutė, who started studying across the Atlantic in autumn, set not only a personal record in the 10000 m, but also in the 5000 m (16 minutes, 47.75 seconds) this year. According to the athlete, the decision to go to California Baptist University paid off: “The first year went better than I expected, because I was told that I could be at the bottom for the first year until my body switched to a different training cycle. It worked for me and I made it personal everywhere. Only now it’s a pity, because it exhausted me and I came back traumatized. This year I am very happy, because I had set myself certain goals – to meet the norm of the European Championships, to run the 5000 m in less than 16 minutes 50 seconds. I accomplished everything I wanted. Of course, I wanted to run here faster, but now you can’t change anything.”

The debutant of the European Championships, who started for the last time this summer season, said that in the future she would like to represent Lithuania in the European Team Championships, in the 5000 m race, and next year it would be interesting to try her hand at the half marathon distance.

The European U23 Championship is broadcast live on the Eurovision Sport portal. The competition in Bergen will take place until Monday.

lengvoji.lt

Photo by Alfredas Pliadis