Finns in three different sports will be seen in Doha on Friday, with Oliver Helander, Reetta Hurske and Wilma Murto participating.
Wilma Murro has previous experience in the Diamond League. Photo from last season’s Zurich competition. PDO
Finnish athletics is doing better than in years, if invitations to the Diamond League competitions are used as a measure.
Roughly speaking, throughout the 2010s only male javelin throwers from Finland made it to the main events of the sport.
The change happened last season when they were in Lausanne Wilma Murto in soap, Kristiina Mäkelä in leaps and bounds Toni Keränen and Lassi Etelätalo spear ace. Also in Stockholm 2022 there were blue and white in three different types of diamonds: Viivi Lehikoinen on a fenced track circuit, Ella Junnila in a place of height and Oliver Helander spear ace.
At the opening of the 2023 Diamond League season on Friday in Doha, Helander, Murto and a 100-meter hurdler making his diamond debut will participate Reetta Hurske.
– And then there’s the Doha race, which is an event for the few and the chosen. Sometimes a place in the Diamond League depends too much on the managers, but the Finns have gone there with results, says Iltalehti’s athletics expert Arto Bryggare.
– When you get good results, the gates open – and vice versa. You have to succeed in Doha, he continues.
Awesome company
Reetta Hurske made her debut in the Diamond League on Friday. PASI LEISMA
The European championship in high-speed fences won during the hall period was brought to the pious desert of the place, because with his top result of 12.88 last outdoor track season, the Tampere native did not make it to the event.
Hurskee’s record result of 12.78 seemed to be the tamest in the eight women’s race, until this week, due to her absence, Ireland’s Sarah Lavin (12.79).
The first name of the event is the Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12,26).
– If Reeta has a hard time on Friday, I’m a little worried. If it goes well, I’m satisfied.
What do you mean?
– If you want to run hard in August, you should have trained hard after the halls. As a result, the performance level of the spring decreases. The Yankees didn’t lighten up in the halls, but their first fitness peak will be at the country’s championships, the expert answers.
– Reeta got a spike in results. If you’ve trained properly after that, you can’t be in top form in Doha, Bryggare clarifies and adds that his point of view represents the “old alliance”.
Bryggare estimates that Hurskee’s goal is to run in the World Championships in Budapest in August in the final race of the top eight.
– In that state of government, he is capable of a new SE era in Doha. But even that result has a way to the World Cup final. You have to run 12.60 there.
Annimari Kortene IT is 12.72.
Early opening
Friday’s competition in Doha will take place at the open-air Suheim bin Hamad Stadium. It is a good place for javelin throwers, but usually too windy for pole vaulters. EPA / AOP
Last summer’s European champion Wilma Murto opens his outdoor track season earlier than ever before in his career.
– If there is wind from the side in the stadium, the pole vault is over. It’s a mess. From the beginning of the season, everyone has a bit of a flash anyway.
Murto also won European Championship gold indoors, but Bryggare was not completely convinced by the woman’s performance.
– It was an application. It must have been because of the soaps when he tried longer tools.
The resistance on Friday will be clearly tougher than on the EC stages with the athletes from North America and Australia.
– If the conditions are reasonable, Wilma should jump 470. Diamond leagues are competitions that have to be taken care of. Then it will be easier to go to the World Cup.