Goal achieved
The team of the capital’s sports club “Cosma” – Gediminas Truskauskas, Lukas Šermukšnis, Edvardas Aukštuolis, and Lukas Sutkus – completed the distance in 3 min. 8.75 sec.
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This is almost a second faster than the record for this event achieved in 2023 (3 min. 9.65 sec.). By the way, L. Sutkus was in the record-breaking quartet both three years ago and now. When asked which victory was sweeter, the runner was brief. “I won’t lie, it hurt more this time, but the joy is also greater,” says L. Sutkus.
Olympian G. Truskauskas shares a slightly different experience. He is used to competing in a distance half as short – 200 m – where he also holds the Lithuanian record (20.48 sec.), so the 400 m race became a new challenge.
“It’s a wonderful feeling that we managed to achieve our goals. One of them was to start the relay, run first, and the maximum goal was to break the Lithuanian record with the very first start. It’s great that we succeeded. And the distance itself definitely felt longer, and the feeling was tougher. At the same time, it was also cool, because the emotions were super good,” smiles the multiple Lithuanian champion.
All four new record holders train under the senior coach of Lithuanian sprint events, Martynas Skrabulis, and prepared for the summer season together with several dozen other national athletes at a training camp in Cyprus. It was there that the ambitious record goal was set – the runners say they chanted “National record” after training.
Without competition
Another highlight of the competition in Palanga was the impressive performance of discus thrower A. Gudžius. The experienced athlete threw the implement 67.73 m on his second attempt, surpassed his closest competitor by almost 14 meters, and won his 11th LLAF Cup in his career.
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A. Gudžius first managed to win this trophy back in 2009. By the way, just a week ago, in competitions held in Kaunas, the athlete met the qualifying standard for the European Athletics Championships to be held in Birmingham in August. This will be his seventh consecutive European Championship.
A much more intense battle took place in the women’s triple jump event. There, the leading trio changed with almost every jump, and finally, Aina Grikšaitė snatched the victory, jumping 13.55 m on her last attempt. Diana Zagainova, who finished second, jumped 13.36 m, and Aurėja Beniušytė finished third with 12.86 m.
Other winners of the second day of the LLAF Cup competition:
Men.
200 m. Gediminas Truskauskas – 20.75 sec. (best Lithuanian season result, LLAF Cup competition record repeated);
800 m. Miroslav Zniščinskij – 1 min. 56.08 sec. (best Lithuanian season result);
3000 m. Robertas Vališauskas – 8 min. 30.47 sec. (best Lithuanian season result, personal record);
400 m h/b. Denas Kupčaloitis – 56.40 sec. (personal record);
Pole vault. Jonas Venckūnas – 4.10 m.
Triple jump. Rimvydas Augys – 15.01 m. (best Lithuanian season result);
Shot put. Simonas Bakanas – 16.85 m. (best Lithuanian season result).
Women.
200 m. Lukrecija Sabaitytė – 23.55 sec. (best Lithuanian season result);
800 m. Eglė Vaitulevičiūtė – 2 min. 12.65 sec.;
3000 m. Karolina Vaitkevičiūtė – 10 min. 48.23 sec.;
400 m h/b. Ugnė Noreikaitė – 1 min. 02.14 sec. (best Lithuanian season result, personal record);
Pole vault. Kamilė Petrauskaitė – 3.30 m.;
Shot put. Eglė Baranauskienė – 12.28 m.;
Discus. Eglė Baranauskienė – 49.94 m.;
4×400 m. Lithuanian U20 national team (Marija Šarkauskaitė, Ugnė Noreikaitė, Viltė Makaraitė, Simona Šlapšinskaitė) – 3 min. 50.80 sec. (best Lithuanian season result).
In the LLAF sports clubs’ team competition, the capital’s sports club “Cosma” triumphed (20665 points), the Panevėžys athletics club “Žvaigždė” took second place (18434 points), and the sports club “Jusis training” finished third (9477 points).
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