The two-year wait is over – on Monday, the 27th European Championship kicked off in Birmingham (UK). On the first day, three Lithuanian track and field athletes started – runner Simas Bertašius and triple jumpers Dovilė Kilty and Diana Zagainova. The latter did not hide their disappointment over the slip-up ticket to the final, while S. Bertašius was happy to have brought the Lithuanian representatives back to the elite of the 5000 m distance.

After a 55-year break

Multiple Lithuanian record holder and champion S. Bertašius, after many years of competing in the 1500 m distance, focused only this season on the 5000 m. And immediately successfully – Lithuania has its first representative in this event at the European Championships after a 55-year break. So far, the only time this distance was completed at the European Championships in 1971. Petras Šimonėlis ran in Helsinki.

Enjoying such a comeback, S. Bertašius completed the distance at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium in 13 minutes 36.22 seconds. and secured 17th place. He said he viewed the start ambiguously, but at the same time did not hide his smile.

“Probably the best possible scenario unfolded. I’m glad I managed to open the doors to the championship – a new event, exotic for Lithuania. Yes, I came to the championship perhaps not in the athletic shape I wanted. Until the very end of the qualifiers, I had to fight for ranking points, so I couldn’t prepare the way those who were confident about their qualification, for example, at a camp in the highlands. Probably today I just had enough strength to open the doors to the championship, and in the future, I can consider a higher position,” said the track and field athlete.

Starting the final strongly, S. Bertašius initially even set the pace for his competitors – he ran about a kilometer ahead of the grid. “The tactic probably decided within the first 100 meters. I ran decisively, but definitely not at maximum speed. I saw that no one wanted to push forward or set the pace. Leaders usually do not do that. They want to conserve their strength, run at the back of the formation, and avoid possible falls. I ended up ahead and at least made sure that the first kilometer wouldn’t be absurdly slow, like the ones we sometimes see,” shared S. Bertašus.

He adds that in this distance he rediscovered himself. “Not qualifying for the last European Championship in Rome made me realize that I need to say goodbye to the 1500 m event. Move forward and see what else can be squeezed out. Still, when competing, you want to go to those championships and qualify for them. I’m glad that it was in this distance that I rediscovered myself. In the near future, I will run 5000 m, and later maybe double it, and again, and again… As much as my strength allows,” the runner smiled.

A painful failure

Triple jumpers D. Zagainova and D. Kilty shared somewhat gloomier moods after the start. In the qualifying competition, she jumped 13.56 m with her best attempt and finished in 20th place. Meanwhile, D. Zagainova finished 27th with 12.67 m. Neither of the two athletes managed to reach the final.

Having participated in five European Championships in her career, D. Kilty said after the start that she did not understand what had happened. “I still don’t really know my emotions, I don’t know what was missing…” During the warm-up, I felt much better; during training a few days ago, I jumped from much lower momentum, and the jumps were much farther. I don’t even know what to say, I am disappointed with my performance,” the athlete said, not hiding her frustration.

In turn, D. Zagainova said she understands the reasons for the failure. “Probably during training, I would jump one leg farther… The first two jumps were far from the board – that’s a problem I face in the second half of the season. Lately, I’ve lost my momentum and there wasn’t enough time before the championship to solve this problem. The same situation occurred here as well. The last attempt was really good, but unfortunately, it was exceeded,” said the Lithuanian triple jump record holder.

D. Kilty added that she is happy to have been able to compete in the country where she lives, alongside her beloved husband, also an athlete, coach Richard Kilty. “That’s how my husband and I met – through athletics, so I can’t even imagine my athletic journey without him; it’s really great when he can support me. Richard is now working on the British team’s relays, so I am grateful that he found time for me as well,” shared D. Kilty.

Meanwhile, D. Zagainova thanked her coach, also a jumper, Marius Vadeikis, who himself was very close to qualifying for the European Championship. “His example inspires me greatly. He is both a coach and a training partner. It’s very unfortunate that he is not here, but sometimes a bit of luck is lacking; this is a sport, sometimes very painful… Still, I feel the support from a distance, I know he is nervous as well, because we both understand that this result does not reflect what we have achieved,” the athlete concluded.

Photo by Alfredas Pliadis