Lithuanian high jumper calls performance 'tragic, pathetic, shameful'

Lithuanian high jumper Juozas Baikštys expressed profound disappointment with his performance at the European Championships, labeling it "tragic, pathetic, and shameful." The 28-year-old athlete, who has competed in major events including the 2025 World Championships and the 2022 and 2024 European Championships, failed to come close to his personal best of 227 cm.

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How do I evaluate it? Tragically... Tragically, pathetically, shamefully. I am ashamed before myself, before the people who believed in me, in short.

At the recent European Championships in Birmingham, Baikštys cleared 210 cm but was unable to surpass the 215 cm mark, failing all three attempts. He admitted feeling ashamed before himself and those who believed in him, struggling to pinpoint objective reasons for his subpar performance.

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The weather conditions are perfect, everything here seems fine, preparation is also good, I felt good in training. But here, I come to the competition, I jump, and I can't jump. A few days ago, everything was fine, and now – my legs are like rubber. I didn't feel any pain, my health is good, I had no complaints.

"The weather conditions are perfect, everything here seems fine, preparation is also good, I felt good in training," Baikštys stated. "But here, I come to the competition, I jump, and I can't jump. A few days ago, everything was fine, and now – my legs are like rubber. I didn't feel any pain, my health is good, I had no complaints."

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This summer I trained a lot, I seemed to be well prepared. But maybe psychology played a role, my head let me down.

Baikštys speculated that psychology might have been the deciding factor. "This summer I trained a lot, I seemed to be well prepared. But maybe psychology played a role, my head let me down," he said. He recalled clearing 227 cm last August in Belgrade, highlighting the stark contrast with his current struggles. "It's shameful that I come to a championship and can't jump. The only explanation is here, in my head. The best results are before some championships, but when I arrive at some big competition, a shadow remains. I seem to have experience in these huge championships, but I have no explanations, it's hard to talk and comment on anything. I wanted to do well, but it turned out as always," he concluded.

“

It's shameful that I come to a championship and can't jump. The only explanation is here, in my head. The best results are before some championships, but when I arrive at some big competition, a shadow remains. I seem to have experience in these huge championships, but I have no explanations, it's hard to talk and comment on anything. I wanted to do well, but it turned out as always.