Ahead of the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships which is part of the inaugural multi-sport European Championships with Glasgow from 2-12 August, we travelled to Antalya, Türkiye where Lithuanian high jumper Airine Palsyte was preparing ahead of the summer campaign.
After a string of fourth-place finishes and silver medals in major competitions dating back to the 2009 IAAF World U18 Championships, Palsyte rose to the top of the podium at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade last March where she cleared a national high jump record of 2.01m, the best ever performance by a Baltic athlete.
Palsyte’s summer campaign was subsequently curtailed by injury but she still finished seventh at the IAAF World Championships in London - a performance which she will be looking to improve upon in the German capital next month.
In our exclusive and in-depth interview, Palsyte talks about how her coach Tatjana Krasauskiene has guided her from her early years in the sport all the way through to clearing two metres for the first time and winning the European indoor title.
More information on the 2018 European Championships:
- The Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships will be part of the first multi-sport European Championships along with co-hosts Glasgow.
- It will be a must-watch, must-attend experience that elevates the status of European Champions, uniting existing European Championships to celebrate the highest honour in European sport and celebrating the defining moments that create Champions.
- It is the continent’s ultimate multi-sport event, an 11-day celebration of European sport staged every four years.
- Seven of Europe’s leading sports (athletics, aquatics, rowing, golf, cycling, gymnastics, triathlon) will be brought together for the first edition.
- The European Athletics Championships in Berlin will be staged 7-12 August. The six other sports will be staged in Glasgow through 2-12 August.
- 4500 athletes and 52 nations will compete across the seven sports.
- Potential TV audience of over one billion with millions more across multiple digital platforms.
- Over half a million spectators expected.