Several hundred of the country’s strongest athletes will participate, including Olympic runners Modesta Justė Morauskaitė, Gediminas Truskauskas, triple jumpers Diana Zagainova, Aina Grikšaitė, the fastest man in the country Adas Dambrauskas, and the rising javelin star Orinta Navikaitė. For some athletes, this will be their first competition of the season, but personal or even national records and qualifying standards for the most important championships of the year are already expected.
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Pleasant excitement before the return
Olympian, Lithuanian record holder, runner M.J. Morauskaitė says she is eagerly awaiting the first start of the summer season – after several springs when health problems disrupted preparation, this year she has managed to return to smooth work. So the main goal is to check how well she has prepared for the season.
“In spring, we had two training camps – we camped for several weeks in Turkey, then another two and a half weeks in Cyprus. I am very happy about that, as in recent years injuries have hindered summer preparation, and last spring, among other things, I had knee surgery. But now the preparation was really smooth, so I am very much looking forward to the competition – it is interesting to find out what condition my body is in now, what form I have managed to achieve during preparation,” says the experienced athlete specializing in the 400 m distance.
She adds that it is always nice to compete specifically in Palanga. “A lot of spectators always gather in this resort and support the athletes. Also, a new ‘Conica’ surface was laid in the stadium last year, which is really nicer and of higher quality, especially for competitions. The seaside winds may be a bit annoying, but it is often windy at the Vilnius stadium as well, so you can’t order the weather, and the atmosphere in Palanga is always very pleasant,” smiles M.J. Morauskaitė.
After the LLAF Cup competition, the athlete will also participate on June 17 in the “World Athletics” Continental Tour bronze competition “Cosma Cup” held in Palanga, followed by several commercial starts, and the main goal is the European Championship to be held in Birmingham (UK) from August 10–16. “I want to return to the 400 meters elite again,” the runner summarizes.
Rising young star
The same goal, albeit somewhat cautiously, is set by the young javelin thrower O. Navikaitė. Last August, she won a bronze medal at the European U20 Athletics Championships held in Tampere (Finland), and now she is confidently moving towards adult championships.
This season, the 20-year-old athlete started by improving her career record and throwing the javelin 56.63 m, later participated in the first “World Athletics” Continental Tour bronze competition in the Czech Republic and took fifth place there, then had several successful starts in Lithuania. This allowed her, at least for now, to secure the 25th place in the European Championship qualification (the top 30 continental javelin throwers will compete in the championships).
She says she expects stability at the LLAF Cup competition. “The start of the season really pleasantly surprised me, I am happy with both the personal record and the first trip alone to the bronze competition. It is really nice that the work is paying off, so I would like to maintain stability and continue the good competition series in Palanga,” says O. Navikaitė.
The young athlete adds that she has much more important goals. “First of all, I want to stay healthy, without injuries. To keep working, not to burn out, especially since I have just entered the U23 group. If all this succeeds, if there is good athletic form and stable results, then it would definitely be possible and wonderful to get into the adult European Championship,” the javelin thrower concludes.
The LLAF Cup competition will begin on Friday (June 5) at 14:30 with the shot put event, O. Navikaitė’s javelin throw start is scheduled for 16:05, M. J. Morauskaitė’s 400 m run – the same day at 16:25. Much intrigue and possibly even a Lithuanian record are expected in the men’s 4×100 m relay (participants include A. Dambrauskas, G. Truskauskas, start – 18:55). The most anticipated start on Saturday (June 6) is the triple jump competition starting at 14:35 (participants D. Zagainova, A. Grikšaitė). Admission to the event is free.
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Full competition program.
