However, both starts so far have taken place in the 1500 meters event, and on Monday at the Alexander Stadium, S. Bertašius ran much longer laps – 5000 m.
“I rate it not badly. I think you demonstrated what I can show today,” said the long-distance runner after the finish.
– Probably my entry into this championship (through the ranking system, – ed.) also adjusted my athletic form. Until the very last moment, I had to fight for ranking points. And I already felt that my strength was not recovering… It’s a pity that I came to the championship perhaps a bit less vibrant than I was, say, in June, when my athletic form was really good.
So the thoughts are ambiguous, but in the end, I am glad that I managed to open the doors of the championship. A new event. And exotic for Lithuania. For that, I am really happy.”
Having started the final brightly, S. Bertašius initially even dictated the pace to his competitors, and finally finished in 13 min. 36.22 sec.
He took 17th place among the 23 long-distance runners who started in the final. By the way, two of them did not finish, and there was a serious fall during the race.
“The tactic was probably decided within the first 100 meters. I ran out really determined, but definitely not at maximum speed. I saw that no one really wanted to push forward and was reluctant to dictate the pace. Leaders usually don’t do that. They want to save energy, run at the back of the pack, avoid possible falls.
I found myself at the front and at least ensured that the first kilometer was not absurdly slow, as we sometimes see those first kilometers in championships.
Later, the Finnish runner with the second worst (personal) result took the lead. So the two of us – the owners of the two worst personal times (smiles) – dictated the pace for the first two kilometers.
I am glad that because of this, the winning time, as far as I saw, was better than usual in such championships… I think we contributed to that,” smiled S. Bertašius.
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The European champion was the famous Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who ran the fastest this season – 13 min. 15.29 sec.
Silver went to German Florian Bremm (13:15.60), bronze to Frenchman Etienne Daguinos (13:16.09).
- This is S. Bertašius’s third continental championship. In 2018, he took 6th place in the 1500 m final, and in 2022 he finished 15th in the same distance.
- S. Bertašius ran his fastest 5000 m career time this June in Vienna – 13 min. 25.92 sec.
- The Lithuanian record for this event on the track has belonged to the legendary Aleksandras Antipovas since 1979 (13:17.9).
- Meanwhile, S. Bertašius holds the Lithuanian indoor record for the 5000 m run (13:27.0).
S. Bertašius holds Lithuanian records in the 1500 and 3000 meters events, but he qualified for this championship by ranking in the 5000 m distance.
“I think now I will run 5000 m for a while, and after a few years – I think maybe even double the distance. Then maybe double again and again… In short, we will double as long as strength allows,” continued the multiple Lithuanian champion and record holder.
– Rome was probably the stop – not qualifying for the last European championship, which made me realize that I need to say goodbye to the 1500 m. Move forward and see what can be squeezed out.
Still, when doing sports, you want to go to those championships, to qualify for them. I am glad that I rediscovered myself in this distance.”
S. Bertašius became only the second Lithuanian in the 5000 m event at the European Championships, 55 years after the only such start so far.
In 1971 in Helsinki, Petras Šimonėlis was 10th in this event.
“This year there is still one start in Finland, where I will also run 5000 m. And on September 19, I will run at the World Road Championships in Copenhagen. There I will run 5 km on the road and close my season,” concluded S. Bertašius.
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You can find the Lithuanian schedule and expectations at the European Championships here.
