2024-08-04 07:17:40
Black Friday. It’s hard to find a better name for this hot August 2nd. The air temperature, heated up to 30 degrees, did not leave a full 80,000 people. the Stade de France stadium, which accommodates spectators, where five female track and field athletes from our country eagerly awaited their start at the Paris Games.
Airinė Palšytė, Diana Zagainova, Dovilė Kilty, Ieva Gumbs and Gabija Galvydytė began their Olympic fairy tale on Friday, which soon turned into a nightmare – all athletes were left without a ticket to the next stage in the scorching heat of Paris.
With different reasons for this, with different moods after the starts, but with the same result – in one day it became clear that for almost half of the Lithuanian track and field athletes competing in the Games, it was over after the first start, and the second stage of the competition became simply an insurmountable Rubicon.
From injury to the unfortunate innovation of the Olympics: what made this unpleasant and thankless turn a reality?
Irish Maid
The high jumper, who welcomed the fourth Olympic Games, did not lack a good mood before them.
“I think I’m prepared really well,” said the 32-year-old Olympian.
The track and field athlete in Paris hoped to improve her own personal best result of the Olympic Games, which was recorded 12 years ago at the London Olympics (189 cm).
On Friday morning, she was the first of the Lithuanian track and field athletes to start her performance in the full Stade de France stadium. The first jumps gave hope that the girl from Kaunas would be able to achieve her goal, and at the same time break through to the next day’s final.
The athlete easily reached the height of 183 cm, and then 188 cm, but then everything took a very unpleasant turn.
“I couldn’t even think that everything would end the way it did,” A. Palšytė will speak later.
A 192 cm high bar became insurmountable for A.Palšyte as the shouts of the stands echoed. The main reason for this was the jumper’s injury, which she suffered during the first attempt.
“At the moment of resistance, several people seemed to walk inwards, because they were hit very hard. Already on the mattress, I realized that something was wrong,” the athlete told LTOK.
In the second attempt, the girl from Kaunas didn’t even risk it – she stopped right before the barrier. Soon she went to the doctor, the athlete’s knee was cooled and examined, the question arose whether she would try to overcome the height for the third time at all.
The Irishman took a risk, and that risk led to the worst.
“I wanted to make the jump because I thought it wasn’t too serious and I would be able to do the test. I sped up and as I was putting my foot up, I heard a big pop. If I had damaged certain structures in the beginning, I ended up tearing them completely and had to leave the sector on a stretcher in great pain and frustration. I really didn’t expect that,” said the Olympian.
After the third attempt, the athlete was surrounded by an even larger medical team, and the tearful jumper was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher, and then continued his journey to the hospital.
After more detailed investigations, it became clear that A. Palšyte’s cruciate knee ligaments and meniscus were torn. After the performance in Paris, the athlete will prepare for the operation, which is planned for next month in Lithuania.
A. Palšytė shared 15-18 places with three other jumpers in the final standings. The 12 athletes who performed best in the selection made it to the finals.
Diana Zagainova
For triple jumper D. Zagainova, it was the second Olympics in her career. The 27-year-old girl from Vilnius did not shine at the last Tokyo Games – at that time, none of the three jumps performed in the selection were counted.
The Olympian came to Paris hoping to rehabilitate after the nightmare in the Japanese capital, but the first attempts of the athlete did not promise anything good.
As in Tokyo, as in Paris, D. Zagainova’s first two attempts did not pass. Unbelievable, but in total, during two Olympics, the triple jumper was not able to properly resist the table even five times in a row.
“Bullshit…”, the Olympian said about her performance at the Paris Games.
Her third attempt was already a credit – D. Zagainova managed to record a result of 12.86 m, but with this result the Olympian from Vilnius remained in the last, 30th place of the selection.
“I was afraid that I would not go beyond the third (attempt), I put myself back, the wind changed, I am waiting, maybe the opposition will change, but as I approach I feel that I am not even going, I almost stopped, that’s it, Amen.
I left, I didn’t even see the last result, because it was no longer important, I pay attention to the feeling, I feel whether it was good or bad”, – the athlete assessed the only qualifying attempt.
However, she was most sorry for the second attempt.
It was not counted because the athlete exceeded the table by just one millimeter – it is practically impossible to see it with the “naked eyes”, but this time D. Zagainova’s sentence was “written” by a special laser.
During the resistance, the athlete crossed the laser with the tip of her shoe, although there was no step on the board itself, but according to the new rules, this is enough to disqualify the attempt.
After the performance, D. Zagainova expressed disappointment, because according to her coach, it could have been a very good jump.
“It’s a matter of technique and the acceleration determines a lot,” sighed the athlete.
Doville Kilty
In the women’s triple jump, D.Kilty also missed the finals. The 31-year-old Olympic debutante could have made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but then she missed the sports festival due to pregnancy.
The athlete made her Olympic debut on Friday at the Stade de France. She took 25th place out of 30 triple jumpers who participated in the selection.
Unlike D.Zagainova, D.Kilty managed to capture all three selection jumps.
“I was standing on the track and I was thinking, ‘You’re not trying to step (over the table), you’ve got to hit and be an Olympian,'” Kilty said after the performance.
However, all three qualified jumps did not give the desired result – D.Kilty jumped the farthest with his best attempt 13.64 m (13.63 m, 13.51 m 13.64 m).
“As for the result, it’s really not good. I can really dance much better”, she appreciated the result.
The athlete added that the excitement of her Olympic debut was the most pressing for her.
“I don’t know, I’ve participated in quite a few international competitions, but I’ve never been to the Olympic Games, I’m not going to lie – the excitement was great.
The atmosphere is amazing, the stadium is full, the support was very good, I can’t complain, but the emotions took over”, said D. Kilty.
The 25th position did not guarantee her a ticket to the finals. The right to compete was given to 12 athletes who performed best in the selection.
Ieva Gumbs
Ieva Gumbs was also left without a place in the final on Friday. The 29-year-old from Ute didn’t meet the standard (64 m) that could have sent her directly to the finals, and her most successful qualifying attempt was not enough to break into the top 12.
The discus thrower threw the tool with a best attempt of 60.37m. She hoped that the last attempt might have been even better, but panic took over.
After her selection, I. Gumbs ranked seventh, but in the next selection group, the athlete received bad news – in the second selection group, she was overtaken by practically all discus throwers.
In the general standings, the athlete from Utena was in 22nd place on Friday.
Missing the final, I. Gumbs was not disappointed, according to her, her main goal was not the final, but the experience of the Olympic Games.
“I was smiling because, what are you going to do here?” We only get three shots,” she said.
Gabija Galvydytė
Without a place in the next stage, but undoubtedly with the biggest smile of all the Lithuanian Olympians who started on Friday, on August 2nd, the 800 m runner G. Galvydytė was the last of her compatriots to enter the Stade de France stadium.
The first three athletes of each selection run picked up a direct ticket to the semi-finals, it’s a pity, but G. Galvydytė was only a hair away from that on Friday – she took the fourth place in her run.
The runner from Jonava covered the distance in the selection in 1 minute. 59.18 sec.
Although she did not manage to win a direct ticket to the semi-finals, G. Galvydytė had something to be proud of – she improved her personal best result by almost a second.
And the Olympic debutant could be in the semi-finals.
The new system of the reformed Olympic running got her foot in the door – the first 18 runners participating in the semi-finals (runners who took the first three places in each race) were revealed in the selection held on Friday.
Under the old system, the remaining six runners had to “qualify” based on the best qualifying times. Exactly 1 min. 59.18 sec. the result would have been enough for G. Galvdyte to advance to the next stage, but now she needed to participate in the consolation run.
The only one of the five Lithuanian track and field athletes who started on Friday, G. Galvydytė had a second chance on Saturday. However, the athlete could not use it.
A total of four runs were held, and six other runners reached the semi-finals (the winners of each run and the two Olympians who showed the best result in all runs).
G. Galvydytė, who started in the first of the four races, finished fourth, which meant that the door to the semi-finals was closed for her even before the start of the other athletes.
“I was missing, just missing… I felt tired, I won’t lie. Yesterday the emotion was very high, I just couldn’t calm down, I gave in to the emotion. It was really more difficult today,” said the Olympian after the run.
The fact that St. John’s started in the first and not the third consolation race added additional disappointment, as the first place runner from Cuba, Mary Rose Almanza, covered the distance in 2 minutes. 1.54 sec.
This meant that if G.Galvydytė had started in the third race, she would have won a place in the semi-finals of the 800 m race, as her result would not have been matched by any other Olympian who ran in this race.
“I think there are pluses, there are minuses, you need to adapt to it, there are some who saved more energy, there are those who ran better yesterday, not only that time, but also the emotion gives a lot, because when you run well, you really don’t think about sleep “, G. Galvydytė evaluated the new system that closed her door to the semi-finals.
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At the Paris Olympic Games, Lithuania’s honor will be defended by six athletes, and the nearest start awaits on August 5, when even three discus throwers from our country – Andrius Gudžius and Mykolas and Martynas Aleknos – will enter the “Stande de France” stadium.
The Paris Olympic Games take place from July 26 to August 11, and you can follow their progress and the hottest comments from athletes lrytas.lt portal.
2024-08-04 07:17:40