Simas Bertašius did not start the 12.5 lap distance on Monday in Birmingham.
The 32-year-old runner from Raseiniai holds Lithuanian records in the 1500 and 3000 meter events, but he qualified for these championships by ranking in the 5000 m distance.
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- This is S. Bertašius’s third continental championship. In 2018, he placed 6th in the 1500 m final, and in 2022 he finished 15th in the same distance.
- S. Bertašius ran his fastest 5000 m in his career this June in Vienna – 13 min. 25.92 sec.
- The Lithuanian record for this event outdoors 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).
A total of 23 long-distance runners competed for medals in the final. The Lithuanian finished 17th, with a time of 13 min. and 36.22 sec.
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Updating…
Before S. Bertašius, the only Lithuanian representative in the European Championship 5000 m event was Petras Šimonėlis. He placed 10th in Helsinki in 1971.
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You can find the Lithuanian schedule and expectations for the European Championship here.
