Uphills, downhills, sharp turns, mud and crowds of runners – this is how the 31st European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa (Portugal) can be described on Sunday. In it, the multiple Lithuanian record holder Simas Bertašius overtook as many as half a dozen runners and took a historically high place, the performance of the country’s young athletes was almost disrupted by airport strikes, and in the fight for medals there was no shortage of intrigue and disappointment of the athletes considered favorites.

Appetite rises while eating

A total of six runners represented Lithuania in this championship: Karolina Bliujutė, Eleonora Višnevskytė, Mikas Montvilas and Erik Černiavski in the U23 age group, as well as Vaida Žūsinaitė-Nekriošienė and Simas Bertašius in the adult races. It was S. Bertašius who performed best – he covered the 7.470 km distance in 23:27 minutes and took 40th place among 89 participants. The athlete, who has tried his hand at the Old Continent Cross Country Championship for the sixth time, says he is happy with the result.

“The previous times, when I started in the individual run, instead of the relay, I took 49th, 50th and 51st places – the results gradually deteriorated. I started to think about whether it is worth going here at all, especially since I hardly participate in cross-country runs and it is not as close to me as the stadium track. However, you always want to help the team. Now that I’m still quite lucky, I feel that it’s possible to break into the top 30. Appetite rises while eating,” smiles S. Bertašius, who, among other things, In the 2019 championship, together with other Lithuanians, he took a record 8th place in the mixed relay.

When asked what made this year’s championship track stand out, the athlete does not look for epithets for a long time. “The place is very carved, the coating changed often – in some places it is very soft, in others it is hard. However, the sharp turns slowed me down the most. Although it is very favorable for the spectators to watch the race, because they can stand in one place and see the whole track, running on it is really tricky, there was no shortage of stops and pushes. But the conditions are the same for everyone,” says the runner and adds that it was the competitors who encouraged him to fight until the finish. “When I saw several principled opponents in front of me, with whom we often meet in the stadium, I really wanted to overtake them. We succeeded,” summarizes the Lithuanian 1000, 1500 m, mile and 3000 m record holder.

From the USA to Portugal

The complexity of the track is also distinguished by K. Bliujūtė and E. Višnevskytė, who competed in the U23 age group. Runners currently studying in the USA unanimously agree that frequent climbs and hills undermined their legs, and the downhills were not enough to regain strength. However, the girls emphasize that the chaotic trip to Portugal also had an impact on the results.

“We traveled here for as long as a day and a half… Initially, we drove two hours from Riverside to Los Angeles. From there, we flew eleven hours to Amsterdam. We waited for seven hours for a transfer, and when we boarded the plane, it turned out that the flight had been canceled due to a strike in Portugal. I had to look for luggage, a hotel and wait for the next day’s flight. It was really exhausting,” says K. Bliujutė. Both she and E. Višnevskytė add that the preparation for the championship could also be more purposeful.

“The season in the USA ended a month ago. Everyone was instructed to rest for at least two weeks so that the body would recover and not get injured. Due to the rather long break, we really lost some stamina,” says E. Višnevskytė. She covered the 5.960 km distance in 23:22 minutes at the championship held in Portugal and took 61st place, while K. Bliujutė finished 58th.

In the analogous U23 men’s event, Erik Černiavski finished in 20:00 minutes (70th place), and Mikas Montvilas – in 20:41 minutes (71st place). At that time, one of the best Lithuanian long-distance runners V. Žūsinaitė-Nekriošienė, who ran the same distance as S. Bertašius, took 27:59 minutes on the track and took 64th place. True, the track and field athlete won 3rd place in the marathon held in Ravenna (Italy) just a month ago, just 36 seconds behind her personal record set 9 years ago.

Record gap and fight until the last second

There was no shortage of surprises in the fight for medals. French world champion Jimmy Gressier, who was considered the main favorite in the men’s race, finally lost to Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo by just three seconds. True, the difference between them could have been even smaller, but the Frenchman, seeing that he would not catch up with his opponent again, crossed the finish line practically walking.

In the women’s group, the title of leader was justified by the Italian Nadia Battocletti – she won the sixth gold medal at the European Cross Country Championships. Last year, the athlete also triumphed in adult running, and before that she was invincible in the U23 and U20 groups. Battocletti’s compatriots also triumphed in the mixed relay.

The winner of the U20 group from Britain Innes Fitzgerald also attracted a lot of attention – she overtook her nearest rival by as much as 32 seconds, the most ever in the women’s run of this age group. Nick Griggs, who triumphed in the U23 group at the time, became the first representative of Ireland to win gold in the individual run.

In the overall standings, Spain triumphed this time, winning as many as 8 medals (3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze). In second place is Belgium with 3 gold medals, and in third place is Great Britain ( 2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medal).

lengvoji.lt photo.