Kronbergs and Šalkauskas set Estonian records in Jõhvi, Alekna throws 70.60

At the international athletics competition and Heino Lipu memorial held in Jõhvi, Estonian athletes delivered impressive performances for the home crowd, with Uku Renek Kronbergs and Deniss Šalkauskas setting new Estonian records in the 800m and 2000m respectively. The most striking result came from Lithuanian discus thrower Mykolas Alekna, who was the only competitor to break the 70-metre mark.

At the international athletics competition held in Jõhvi and at the Heino Lipu memorial, Estonian athletes provided the home crowd with thrilling performances over three days, with two athletes breaking Estonian records.

Kronbergs breaks 26-year-old record

The new Estonian record in the 800 metres was set at 1:45.72 when Uku Renek Kronbergs surpassed the previous mark of 1:45.87, which had stood since 1999 under Urmet Uusorg's name. The race was won by Brazilians Eduardo Ribeiro (1:45.14) and Leonardo Santos (1:45.61), but the Estonian took pride in setting the record.

"After the Czech competition I was confident the record would come. Winning first place would have been a bonus, but it's not a problem," said Kronbergs. He added that the Estonian short-track record of 1:46.71 he ran at the indoor world championships in March gave him considerable confidence.

Kronbergs' coach Ille Kukk explained that several changes in preparation led to success: the break between the indoor and outdoor season was minimized, training volume was increased, and speed has improved. "When today his first lap time was 50.5 seconds, he was no longer afraid," Kukk described the athlete's progress.

The European Championships qualifying standard of 1:44.80 has already been met by 25 athletes, but only seven runners can qualify for Birmingham through the ranking system. "I think if I run a couple more solid races, I should make the ranking," said Kronbergs.

Šalkauskas sets record at 2000 metres

Deniss Šalkauskas set an Estonian record in the 2000 metres with a time of 5:04.59. "I rate this result very highly. Unfortunately, you don't get to run this distance very often. Running alone to maintain the pace was difficult today, but I managed," said Šalkauskas, who is now heading to the United States for a high-altitude training camp with Tiidrek Nurme, who is preparing for the European Championships marathon.

Alekna throws 70.60

On the world stage, the most impressive result came from Lithuanian world record holder Mykolas Alekna, who won the discus with 70.60, being the only thrower to break the 70-metre mark. Second place went to Slovenian Kristjan Ceh (69.35) and third to Jamaican Roje Stona (65.42). Estonia's promising discus thrower Sten Erik Iir finished sixth with a personal best of 58.98.

Other notable results

In the men's 100 metres, Henri Sai set a personal record of 10.32, finishing second in the final. An hour later he triumphed in the 200 metres with a personal best of 20.69. "I didn't feel my best today because there have been so many competitions. It was important for the European Championships to improve my ranking position," explained the sprinter.

In the women's long jump, Terje Meister won with a personal record of 6.26 and finished seventh in the 100 metres with a personal best of 11.89. The 31-year-old athlete only returned to sport at age 28 after an 11-year break. "My dream is to jump 6.50. After that I could sleep more peacefully," said Meister.

In the women's 100 metres, Ann Marii Kivikas showed the Estonian season's best time of 11.40, just five hundredths of a second short of the Estonian record. Hammer thrower Adam Paul Kelly finished third with 74.85 and is optimistic about the European Championships final: "I don't remember ever throwing over 74 metres three times at a single competition before."