Jouk, Belarusian track and field athlete: “There is still hope for the Olympic Games, you have to believe in it”

Belarusian record holder in pole vault Irina Jouk told that she still believes in the admission of this country’s track and field athletes to the Olympic Games.

On March 3, in the Moscow Arena of the National Research University MGSU, the 5th All-Russian Pole Vault Festival was held, in which the youngest athletes and pole vault stars of Russia took part and Belarus. Zhuk won the competition with a score of 4.65 meters.

On March 1, 2022, the World Athletics Association suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from participation in international competitions.

“I’m happy to have managed to climb a little higher with my best result of the season, already 4.65 meters. The season was very difficult, but it ended here on a good note, on hard sticks. There is progress, I am not in the best shape, we are going to prepare for the summer. Overall, I’m really happy. Today my goal was to jump over 4.6 meters and I succeeded. I’m not in the habit of screaming at these heights, but screaming at 15 feet is the misery cry of the season. Nothing worked at all.

Not everything has gone well this season, but there is huge potential. We are now attempting a new takeoff. It was a risky moment for us this season. We can see that it works, but it still takes me a little time to get used to the rhythm since I added two steps.

I don’t have much time now, I’ll rest a little and go to the training camp in Sochi, where we will prepare for the summer. Projects for the summer season: BRICS Games, World Friendship Games, Olympic Games. Nobody knows how this will all end. There is still hope, you cannot despair, you have to believe in it,” Zhuk told .

Zhuk is a bronze medalist at the European Championship and a participant in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.