The discus thrower tells about an interesting encounter at the Castle party.
Three-time world discus champion and 2021 Olympic champion Daniel Ståhl33, received mail from the office of the President of the Republic to his home in Malmö last year.
– I am grateful. It was a great honor when the president of Finland Alexander Stubb sent an invitation to Linna’s party, Ståhl says.
After opening the letter, Ståhl grabbed his phone and called his mother For the dough To Stockholm and his grandmother For Leila To Turku.
– They cried a lot.
In the castle, Ståhl took his shot putter spouse as a companion by Fanny Roos instead of his mother Tainan.
– I met politicians, athletes and Eppu Normaali in Linna.
Niinistö rambled
Sauli Niinistö is a sportsman. Timur Yilmaz
A memorable experience at Linna was the meeting with someone who served as president from 2012 to 2024 Sauli Niinistön77, with.
– He immediately asked directly as his first question, what is your record in the javelin throw, Ståhl says.
Niinistö asked his question in Finnish, because Ståhl always speaks his mother’s mother tongue in Finnish media interviews.
– At first I thought Niinistö’s question was a joke, Ståhl smiles.
– He looked me in the eyes and was completely serious. I thought this man doesn’t talk shit, the world star adds.
Niinistö is a fan of javelin throwing. He also practiced the sport during his presidency, for example at the president’s summer residence in Naantali’s Kultaranta.
– I told Niinistö that I had thrown 50.32 meters. He replied that I am so proud because I have thrown further than you. As I recall, Sauli said that he has thrown 50.45 meters.
Niinistö said in an interview with Iltalehti in 2013 that the record for the 700-gram javelin is slightly over and for the men’s 800-gram javelin a little less than 50 meters.
– Oh, oh, it’s not going well. The women’s 600-gram javelin has only gone less than 30 meters this summer, Niinistö commented at the Pihtiputa javelin carnival in July 2013.
A different man in Finland
Daniel Ståhl celebrates Midsummer in Kuortane. Jussi Saarinen
Ståhl remembered the Christmas tree he met on the eve of Midsummer in Kuortane. He competes in the South Ostrobothnia Midsummer Classic.
The man is by far the most successful athlete of the event and the favorite of the Finnish public.
– Finland is my second home country, he describes.
– I’m like a different person in Finland, because I’m always so positive here. In Sweden, I am a bit more formal. Well, it’s a really good combination, Ståhl adds.
In his two most recent discus throwing competitions, Ståhl has not been himself: on June 14 in Sollentuna, the discus flew 64.88 meters and two days later in Jöhvi, Estonia, he was without a result.
The reason is the groin challenges that appeared at the turn of June. Ståhl does not have an actual injury, but due to the hard strength training session in May, his groin was a bit stiff. Therefore, the athlete stopped the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku at the beginning of June after three throwing rounds.
– I wasn’t able to do punch training for two weeks. For the past ten years, I’ve gotten used to lifting a lot of iron during the competition season as well. With that, I get a good rhythm and technical feel for my discus throwing performances.
Ståhl says he was “in pretty good physical shape” before the Paavo Nurmi Games and the Stockholm Diamond League that followed. In the Swedish capital, the man nailed his longest slice of the season so far, 69.60 meters and won the competition.
– In Sollentuna and Estonia, my throwing rhythm was completely messed up.
Ståhl has calmed down during the Kuortanene Games, because his groin no longer hurts and he has been able to return to strength training.
– Now we are building strength and technology back. The goal on Saturday in Kuortane is to win. Even if there are good winds, it’s not worth waiting for a 70-meter crossing. Such 65–68 meters is possible.