Apsīte falls just 26 centimeters short of the final at World U-20 Championships
Latvian triple jumper Brenda Džiliana Apsīte finished 22nd at the World U-20 Championships in the US, narrowly missing the final. Decathlete Ernests Lešinskis sits 24th after seven events.
At the World U-20 Athletics Championships in the United States on Saturday, Latvian triple jumper Brenda Džiliana Apsīte placed 22nd out of 26 competitors in qualification.
Apsīte, one of this season's world-leading performers in the event, recorded a jump of 12.74 meters in qualifying. She missed advancing to the final by just 26 centimeters. The best qualifying result, 13.60 meters, belonged to Romania's Daria Vrînceanu.
Lešinskis in the decathlon
On the second day of competition, Latvian decathlete Ernests Lešinskis also continued his campaign. In the 110-meter hurdles he clocked 14.98 seconds, earning 852 points and placing 23rd in the event. In the discus throw, contested with a 1.750-kilogram implement, Lešinskis threw 36.75 meters for 599 points and 22nd place.
After seven of ten events, Lešinskis has accumulated 5,199 points, putting him 24th among the 28 athletes still in contention. The overall leader is Sweden's Liam Belo da Silva with 5,905 points, who leads the previous frontrunner, France's Maela Befasu Lanurjean, by 90 points. Remaining events for the decathletes are the pole vault, javelin throw and 1500 meters.
It was previously reported that another Latvian decathlete, Kārlis Feldmanis, withdrew from the competition on Friday, pulling out before the 400 meters after a poor long jump result.
Latvia is also represented at the championships in Oregon by Toms Samauskis in the discus throw, Nikola Bunde and Adriana Reitmane in the heptathlon, Emīls Lamba in the 400 meters, Ksenija Kozlova and Toms Melderis in the 400-meter hurdles, Haralds Nungurs in the hammer throw, and Elizabete Cīrule in the 100-meter hurdles. The championships conclude on Sunday.
