Camilla Richardsson got tired of pushing and finished at the top of the WC final.
It’s not very often that you see a Finnish runner leading the 10,000m World Cup final.
Camilla Richardson however, on Saturday in Budapest’s World Championship evening, he held the pole position for no less than five kilometers. It also surprised the Finn himself.
– I have gone through many scenarios before the race, but this was not one of them! Richardsson laughed at the interview point.
The race started at a very calm pace. Richardsson decided at about a kilometer that he would not stay in the middle of the group of 22 women waiting for the pacesetter.
– I have already made the mistake of staying once this summer. I decided not to make the same mistake again.
– The run felt horrible at the beginning, when the group ran on. Terrible pushing. I thought, never mind, I’m leaving.
Camilla Richardsson wondered why no one kept up the pace. PASI LEISMA
Richardsson’s idea was that as the pace increases, someone else wants to be in the top spot. The laps and kilometers went by, but the Finn was still pulling the hose.
At 5,600 meters, Richardsson held first place.
– Every lap I think about how many damn laps I can run in the lead. It’s rare to run five laps in the lead in the World Cup final!
No hope for the top
Richardsson was satisfied with his ranking. PASI LEISMA
In six kilometers there was a change of power, when Ethiopia Gudaf Tsegay moved to the top. At the same time, the pace clearly increased.
In the end, Richardsson was fifteenth with a time of 32:15.74. The Finn does not regret his bold move.
– To be honest, I knew I had no chance of being in the top ten here. I decided to leave, maybe someone will freeze behind.
– If it’s 15th in the World Championships, it’s not bad. I thought beforehand that I would be in the top 15 if everything went well.
The time upset Richardsson. The Finn’s record for the distance is 31.12.78 in May. In Budapest, everything seemed to be right – except for the slow pace of the group in the first kilometer.
– Was a good day. The legs were really good. It’s a tough thing to run in the 10,000 meters World Cup final.
The race ended dramatically. Was in the lead Sifan Hassan fell a moment before the finish, and did not make it to the medals.
Ethiopia finally took the treble as Gudaf Tsegay captured the world title. Letensebet Gidey won the World Cup silver, Ejgayehu Taye bronze.