On the final evening of the European Championships in Munich, Andreas Vojta from Lower Austria finished 22nd and last in the 10,000m in 29:56.71 minutes. Four participants gave up. The 33-year-old was more than two minutes behind the victorious Italian Yemaneberhan Crippa in his first European Championship appearance over the longest stadium distance.
Vojta apologized to the many acquaintances in the audience for what he saw as an embarrassing and inexplicable performance. “I’m sorry, I really ran like the first human today, I’m a little embarrassed right now. I have to apologize to everyone, it was a shame,” Vojta said in an ORF interview. He’s puzzled about the cause and can’t explain the poor performance. “My legs and arms were petrified. But you don’t give up a race.” The former Olympic participant will compete in the marathon in the future.