Early on Saturday morning, the World Athletics Championships began in Tokyo (Japan). The first of the Lithuanians was discus thrower Ieva Gumbs, who competed in the qualification of group B. The athlete, who threw the discus 58.97 m, took 13th place in her group, and among all 37 participants, she remained 22nd.
The qualification norm (64.00 m) was fulfilled by five athletes, and the remaining seven made it to the final according to the result. The result of the last discus thrower was 62.65 m. I. Gumbs’ first and third attempts were not counted, and the second tool managed to throw 58.97 m.
“It was difficult. I usually participate in Group A, so we were going to participate earlier, but I ended up in Group B. I was happy because I started last and thought that everything was in my hands and I would be able to show something, surprise you. It was very hot, sweat was pounding, there was almost no need to warm up. You just try to cope with the technique, but today I didn’t cope with it, it’s a pity,” I. Gumbs shared his thoughts after qualifying.
The Lithuanian was happy with the atmosphere and support, but once again emphasized the technique and haste, which prevented her from making quality shots: “It’s a lot of fun to participate, because everyone is applauding and in a good mood. Of course, we wanted to perform better. I was in a hurry to quit – this was the main problem. In such championships, you want to perform as well as possible, so you try to do everything faster and then the technique collapses. That is what put his foot down. On the last attempt, I tried to calm myself down, relax, but I still hurried. It seems that you control yourself, but in such competitions you do not control yourself. There was a lack of peace.”
The athlete, who compared the start in group A and B, said that she could have slept longer, but the temperature was higher. The discus thrower added that all participants had the same conditions, but some managed to perform better, while others fell short, so we will have to wait for another opportunity.
It was the third World Championships for the athlete. In 2022, the Lithuanian took 25th place in Oregon (USA), in 2023 she won the 14th position in Budapest (Hungary), and this year she expected an even higher place.
This year, I. Gumbs threw the discus further than 61 meters in two competitions (season record – 61.86 m, career record – 64.98 m), but the athlete did not hide that the season was not easy: “The season is difficult and complicated. It seems that I was in good shape and results, but then something happened. And now it seems that everything is fine, I am ready, but in this case I have not managed my head. You always expect to perform well, to be the strongest and know everything, but the season was not stable to give you extra confidence.”
In the women’s discus throw final, which will take place on Sunday at 1:12 p.m., I. Gumbs will support all participants. On September 20, the discus throw qualification awaits Mykolas Alekna, Andrius Gudžius and Martynas Alekna. I. Gumbs wished them luck and shared his prediction: “I hope they do better. They’re great, I think we’ll see all three of them in the final.”
Before the World Championships, the athlete had an adaptation camp in Japan, so she regretted that it was not possible to convey her fruits in the competition: “We got used to the temperature and humidity in the camp, so I expected a much better result. The Japanese are very helpful, they always help, and that gave me peace. The preparation was very good, it’s a pity that we couldn’t demonstrate it today.”
Lithuania is represented by 11 track and field athletes at the World Championships. The Planet Championships in the Far East take place on September 13-21, and the competition is broadcast live by LRT and the portal Eurovision Sport.
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Photo by Alfredas Pliadis
