Balázs Baji: The moment of farewell has arrived

– When did the idea of retiring first come to your mind?
– The biggest break in my career was my serious injury in 2019, which inevitably raised the idea of this, but at that time I didn't want to and couldn't accept it," Balázs Baji,the bronze medalist, and European Championship silver medalist hurdler, told National Sport. "I was like, no matter how little chance the doctors give me, I'm still trying to come back, but all this time I had the idea that sooner or later I'll have to learn to live with the sad situation. This reached me by 2021. I have to admit that I am no longer able to perform at the level that I was accustomed to and expected of, and what I expect of myself. I realized that the moment of farewell is now and that I could finish my career with good memories and my head held up high.

– After your comeback, how did you deal with the fact that as a world championship bronze medalist the results weren't what you expected?
– It was a bit painful to experience that I had to rebuild everything when I fell back from the topflight of the international field, but I tried to bear the failures with dignity, just as I had done it with the successes before. I tried to have the humble attitude that the sport has taught me. At the same time, I was hoping that the direction would be good and sustainable because I was able to stand up after my injury. I am not retiring now with the knowledge that I would not have had a chance to return to the elite because I would have, but at the age of 32, after 20 years of a professional sports career and a serious injury behind me, I wouldn't be able to undertake wholeheartedly. At this stage of my life, it's time for me to take a different route; I want to focus more on my post-sport career and my personal life.

– Was it difficult to make this decision?
– It is for any professional athlete, no matter what others say... even if it's made under pressure. I feel like I could have fought more, but for my health and my future, the right thing to do is to stop competing. I'm sure I'll have sleepless nights when I'm going to question it, but as hard and painful as it is, that's the logical decision. I am extremely grateful to my club Budapest Honvéd, my youth club Békéscsaba Athletic Club and, of course, the Hungarian Athletics Federation for standing by me all along. I am grateful for every moment, and I try to remember the beautiful moments because luckily there are many more of them. What made my decision easier is that I'll continue doing exciting and challenging in athletics.

– Couldn't the 2023 World Championships in Budapest keep you on the track?
– If anything, the 2023 World Championships at home was the biggest motivation for me to keep going, and that's what made my decision more difficult. I wanted to compete so much that when I think about my career, missing the World Championships on home grounds hurts. But even if I'm not on the track, I can do something for the competition: I get a part in the organizing committee, which motivates me as much as succeeding on the track

– Can you elaborate on that?
– Just because I'm ending my athletic career doesn't mean athletics is going to disappear from my life. I have been given the opportunity to work within the sport. The organizers of the competition in Budapest are counting on me and they want me to play a part in it, which is a huge challenge. Athletics has given me a lot, and now, I might have a chance to give something back, but I don't know what the future holds; I can only see until 2023. I don't feel the strength and ability to work as a coach, I can rather imagine myself in diplomacy and sports management.

– Look on the bright side, you can sleep in from now on.
– I'm sure it'll be unusual at first. I'll have to adjust a lot of things to myself; I'll have the weekends and holidays off that haven't been the case for the last 20 years. We can live a richer and quality life with my significant other, and I can experience the small pleasures of life. I don't see retirement as a tragedy, I don't want to stop playing sports, and I'll be on the athletics field a lot.

– Your career was full of unforgettable moments. Can you point out three?
– My first success was at the 2011 European Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic where I finished second with a national age-group record. Also, I was able to take the podium in an international competition for the first time there. It was a huge experience; it gave me a huge boost to believe that I was going to be an elite athlete. Both the second and third successes are related to my most successful year, which is 2017. One of them is my national record of 13.15 at the Gyulai Memorial. This Hungarian tournament has always played a special role in my career, I have run individual bests several times, and I won in 2016. We can only be glad that there is such a prestigious athletic competition in Hungary. But the most decisive thing was the bronze medal at the World Championships. It was an amazing success and dreamlike competition, which completely changed my life. Its memory will accompany me forever.

– From a four-year perspective, what do you remember from the World Championships in London?

– I arrived in London in a condition that could result in a good performance, but it took a lot of luck to make it happen. With good preparation and a successful competition season behind me, reaching the World Championships final was one of our expectations, but I also caught two amazingly good days when I was full of confidence and had strength. When I reached the final in the first place from my semi-final round, I had mixed feelings: I wanted to have a say in the medal ceremony, but at the same time I could hardly believe it. It was an exciting competition, I was speechless after I finished third, and I admit that sometimes it still seems unbelievable.

– Now let's look at the other side of the scale. Was there a low point in your career?
– Fortunately, I have a balanced and successful career behind me. It wasn't easy because I bit more than I could chew when I started my studies at the University of Veterinary Medicine. Getting a degree and doing professional sport together kept me under constant pressure; I had to perform all the time. There were difficult moments here and there with challenging tasks ahead of me. The hardest year was maybe 2015 because of the comprehensive examination, and up to 2018, it was my only year when I couldn't improve on my personal best. There were no huge ups and downs in my career, I was able to maintain my health. I stepped forward every year, I was able to make use of the knowledge and experience I had gained previously. My injury in 2019 not only stalled this career trajectory, but in hindsight, it also ended it. It's part of sports, not everything comes easily and naturally; withoutlowsthere can be no highs.

– Without the mentioned injury, would your career have lasted longer?
– A case this serious doesn't go away without a trace. In everyday life, my knee is complaint-free, but there were many small consequences on the field: small injuries, pain, and I felt more and more physical limitations that I might not have been able to overcome. These all made me feel like I was on the verge of my efficiency. If there wasn't this injury, more than likely I would have continued with success and pleasure until 2023.

– Can you tell what athletics has given Balázs Baji?
– The sport has defined my daily life since I was thirteen, I have gotten to know many great people and have become richer by them. I have also embraced many of the values I have learned from sport. Not only would I not be the same person, but I also think I'd be less if I hadn't played sports.

– What do you think was the characteristic that made you stand out from the others?
– On the one hand, I had the necessary physical abilities without which it is difficult to compete. I never considered myself the most talented, but thanks to my consciousness, I was able to cope with the heavy load. I paid attention to my lifestyle on and off the field as well to be happy and balanced while always doing what I had to do. In order to stand my ground and deal with successes and failures, I needed the values I brought from home from my parents. I would definitely like to especially thank my youth coach János Medovarszki, my current coach István Tomhauser, and Dániel Kiss, who, in the meantime, has also become my coach from being my teammate first. I needed their help to go down this path.

– Now that you're quitting the professional sports world, will you have more time for your profession, which is veterinary medicine?
– I would like to stay within the veterinary profession, but how it will be in reality will depend on the next year or two. It's a profession like professional sport – it requires a whole person. In my life, the love of animals is decisive, but it remains to be seen whether I can unfold in it or stay with the sport. Currently, most of my time is spent organization and communication tasks related to the World Championships in Budapest.

– You've just said that you will miss the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Other than that, do you feel your career is complete?
– Basically, I've achieved great success, but after 2017, reaching the Olympic finals and even a medal would not have been unimaginable. Maybe I'm missing some kind of an indoor medallion, even though I've been close to it many times. But when I think back to my career, I don't think about what I didn't do, but what I did.