Lithuanian heptathlete Juškevičiūtė aims for personal bests after mixed first day

Beatričė Juškevičiūtė, the Lithuanian heptathlete, finds herself in 13th place after the opening day of the European Championships in Birmingham, having accumulated 3687 points. The 26-year-old athlete reflected on the demanding nature of the heptathlon, noting the difficulty in maintaining a consistent rhythm across its seven disciplines.

"More than half the work is done, I'm neither happy nor sad. It's been a long time since there were competitions, I didn't know what to expect," Juškevičiūtė admitted. While pleased with her performance in the 200m, where she finished in 23.73 seconds to secure 8th place, she expressed disappointment with her high jump result. "The high jump was much worse than I expected, which is a bit sad," she confessed.

Her day began with the 110m hurdles, where she placed 6th with a time of 13.09 seconds. In the high jump, she ranked 22nd with 1.65 meters. The shot put event also saw her fall short of her potential, finishing 13th with 13.70 meters, a mark below her personal best of 14.17 meters achieved at the previous World Championships.

Looking ahead to the final day, which includes the long jump, javelin throw, and 800m run, Juškevičiūtė is focused on achieving personal bests. "What do I expect from Saturday? One event at a time, I'd like at least one personal result somewhere. Nothing hurts, that's rare," she said, maintaining an optimistic outlook.

Juškevičiūtė, who trains in the United States while pursuing her academic and professional career, highlighted her ability to balance demanding schedules. "You know, when you need and want to, you combine work and sports. As long as there are no medals, no high achievements, you need additional activities and income," she previously stated. She also mentioned receiving a monthly stipend for her 14th-place finish at the World Championships, a detail she found out about only recently.