Sweden is significantly ahead of Finland. According to the expert, Finnish junior coaching is deficient.
– Conflicting taste.
That’s how Iltalehti’s athletics expert sums it up Arto Bryggare in the season of the Finnish level in 2022.
– Finland did more than well in Munich. Several athletes, practically all medal hopefuls, competed perfectly in life’s toughest place. That’s a great thing, the expert says.
The European Championship success was the best in 40 years, when the Finns won four medals and five athletes reached the weakest points 4–8.
– Behind the points, the level of sprinting went up by all measures from 100 to 400 meters and to the fence round.
They set the Finnish record Samuli Samuelsson (100 meters), Samuel Purola (200 meters), Aleksi Ojala (35 km walk), Viivi Lehikoinen (400 m hurdles), Krista Tervo (sledge-hammer), Kristiina Mäkelä (bounce), Elisa Neuvonen (35 km walk) and Wilma Murto (pole).
In the World Cup, Finland continues on the zero line. The previous medal is Tero Pitkämäki bronze from 2015.
Four points remained for Eugene.
– Too big a group marched to the World Championships. For a large part of that team, it would have been good to have left out the trips and being there. If you had competed, trained and loaded up for the European Championships at the same time, the situation in Munich would have been even better.
The sports federation nominated all those who passed the screening of the International Athletics Federation (WA) to the World Championships in Eugene and sent as many as 36 athletes to the team. Based on Iltalehti’s analysis, it was too big a gig for about a quarter.
– In August, many people had a bit of an empty tank, when a lot of energy was spent hunting for boundaries and points.
“Comes to the lap”
EC medalists Wilma Murto (left), Kristiina Mäkelä, Lassi Etelätalo and Topi Raitanen were crowned at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on September 3, 2022. Matti Raivio / AOP
Finland has received, among other things, a competitor Saga Vannisen led by the handsome success of the last two summer’s youth competitions.
– There is Swarms and a few other supertypes. The girls’ situation is ok, but the boys have big shortcomings. There is a significant crisis in the background, Bryggare downloads.
– Anemia is clearly visible. The situation will be hard to bear in a few years. In addition to endurance running, there are rough holes in boys’ high jump and pole vault, for example, he continues.
Bryggare is “afraid” that many of today’s tough junior talents will soften.
– In athletics, we get one-sided too early. You can do well in the juniors, but there is no chance in the adults.
Now let’s get to the expert’s point of view about the “significant crisis”.
– We have a wide range of Sports Association coaches, but very few junior coaches who understand basic sports. Those who understand that children need to run a lot in order to develop muscle and elasticity. Running is the best way to improve for everyone – including shot putters and shot putters.
To Turp again
Sweden celebrated the national match victory at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on September 4, 2022. Matti Raivio / AOP
As a roughly similar athletics country, Sweden is a measuring stick for Finland. The western neighbor achieved three medals and a total of three other points from the World Championships. At the European Championships, the spoils were three medals and ten other points.
– In Sweden, the clubs are strong. The Stockholm Marathon is one of the strong supporters of Stockholm’s clubs. Our clubs are pretty tight, but the association runs the same things as the clubs in Sweden. One can ask which is the better system.
In the traditional national match, Sweden was once again sovereign. In the last ten years, both in women and in men, the victories for the blue and yellow are 9–1.
– Our endurance runners had a hard time: with scores of 6–16 in the sprints and hurdles. Especially in endurance running, Sweden has a clearly more talented group. Sure Raitanen’s top presence would have changed the situation, but Sweden didn’t load to the maximum either.