The best Lithuanian athlete of COVID-19 decides to finish his career: the federation is surprised

The 24-year-old athlete decided to hang her shoes on a nail a year after winning her biggest career victory. Ž.Vaiciukevičiūtė, who has the standard of the Tokyo Olympics, will no longer be part of the most important sporting event in five years.

“Some people live and swim downstream, others plan and have a clear life plan. And I’m from the latter. I had plans for the Tokyo Games, but the COVID-19 crisis ruined everything, and my plans cannot wait another year. Another aspect is that there is no 100% guarantee that the Olympics will also take place next year, ”Ž.Vaiciukevičiūtė explained.

In March, a COVID-19 virus was detected in Pabradė, then the athlete suspected that she had contracted the virus while traveling from a training camp in Spain. However, the disease did not affect the decision to end his career; the girl decided that even earlier.

“The COVID-19 virus did not affect my decision. It was only a stage in my life that I passed successfully without major problems. I feel good right now – said Ž.Vaiciukevičiūtė. – The decision is not in a hurry, as I said, I have a clear plan with clear dates and plans for the future. It says “man plans, heaven laughs”, but maintaining consistency and pursuing plans and goals remains my priority, so I can say with certainty that there is no urgency in this decision “.

Ž.Vaiciukevičiūtė’s short career is impressive. The athlete, who specializes in the distance of 20 km, burst into the Rio de Janeiro Olympics at the age of 20, and in 2017 he won bronze in the U-23 European Championship. Viktoras Meškauskas’ student made a breakthrough in 2018: At the European Championships in Berlin, she finished fifth, achieving the second result in the history of Lithuania overall: 1 hour. 28 min. 7 sec.

Ž.Vaiciukevičiūtė’s biggest victory was the European Sport Walking Cup that was won in Alytus last year, and ours became the most powerful runner on the continent.

“What is the most difficult part of the sport? The hardest part was being far and away from loved ones and family. Spend the holidays not with your loved ones, but somewhere far away, where there is not even snow. Also, even though I became the winner of the European Cup, I did not feel valued. That assessment was only formal, written, ”said Ž.Vaiciukevičiūtė, who did not receive a penny from the government for his triumph in Europe.

From the first steps in sport, the girl was accompanied by coach Viktoras Meškauskas.

“I would like to thank the coach for his work, without him I could not have reached the heights of the sports I have achieved.” Together we have changed the history of the Lithuanian sports march. For many years it was warm and cold, sometimes it was colder and the difficulties in mind are more difficult than any physical work. However, I never thought of another coach, because my coach’s methodology was adequate, and this was demonstrated by the results obtained every year “, – Ž.Vaiciukevičiūtė thanked the coach.

LLAF President Eimantas Skrabulis: It is a pity that we are losing an athlete of this level.

After Ž. Vaaiciukevičiūtė to announce the end of his career, the Lithuanian Athletics Federation (LLAF) gave the athlete time to consider and not rush to make a decision. Finally, without changing the opinion, LLAF informed the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LTOK).

Comment by LLAF President Eimantas Skrabulis:

“The federation leadership was unpleasantly surprised to hear that message. We could not believe that such a young athlete with a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics, being the best European walker who was considered very talented by the entire walking community, he stated he was finishing his career.

We did not believe, we did not want to believe: this is the first such case in many years. We talk to the athlete, we do not press her respect for her private life. Everyone is absolutely free in their decisions, the athlete can also make decisions about what to do in life, whether it is fighting in sports arenas or participating in other activities.

We wanted to convince ourselves not to rush into the decision that maybe we were tired of preparing for the Olympics and postponing them was a kind of demotivation, but it will pass. It is always difficult to work, but it is a lot of fun to earn personal achievements, high places, maybe even victories. It meant a lot to the entire sports community, federation, coach, friends. We asked to think, but after a while her decision did not change, she said she was tired of sports and that she was choosing another path in life.

We have no right to persuade through coercion, we accept his determination, but we regret that we lost an athlete of that level. Perhaps she has not been given the highest-level walking star, talent is born and becomes a champion.

I am convinced that the sporty bird of happiness that he managed to achieve can fly irreversibly. Today, that is a fact, and what the athlete will do in the future is his personal decision. We wish him success in life, thanks for those hopes, the victories he has given to Lithuanian athletics, for the belief that more can be done. With the exit of the sport, life does not end, a certain stage ends. Good luck to her and we will think about training new athletes. ”