Ilona Mononen broke a 20-year dry streak in Finnish cross-country running.
Ilona Mononen ran a dream run. Stock photo. PASI LEISMA
Ilona Mononen has finished third in the European cross-country under-20 championships in Italy.
Mononen competed in the four kilometer course, which was run in the La Mandria park near Turin.
– There are no words to describe the mood. Last year’s fourth place left me with a toothache and now I’ve done everything I could to get a medal. The run could not have gone any better, Mononen told the Finnish Sports Federation in the bulletin.
The competition was won by Spain Maria Forero at 13.04. Norway took second place Ingeborg Östgård. Mononen missed the silver medal by just one second.
The race was run on the grass, which was partially covered with frost from the night’s frost. Mononen started calmly, and entered the medal fight in the last round.
– On the last uphill, I put everything into play, even if I missed the trip. After that, there was nothing but a downhill, which I ran as hard as I could, Mononen described.
– At the end, I didn’t know how close the fourth one was, but I just ran with the shine of the medal in my eyes.
No less than 20 years have passed since the last Finnish EC cross-country medal. Elina Lindgren ran third in the under-20s in 2002.
Mononen has won the 3,000-meter EC gold in track running in 2021.