So far, there is no certainty when and how the race day will be extended.
The weather forecast did not look good for the Saturday of the Kaleva Games.
The first rumblings were heard at half past two. Less than an hour later, the sky darkened. The rain predicted for Joensuu drenched the central court at 2:20 p.m. The race day had to be interrupted, the height of the decathlon was underway.
– Dear audience, watch out for flying objects, the stadium announcer said, referring to the strong wind.
The grandstand on the back straight was completely emptied, when the audience was directed to the rain shelter under the flag of the main grandstand. The stadium DJ Sedulla there was an eye for the game: AC/DC was playing from the crowd Thunderstruck.
The center court became drenched in an instant. Anni Saarela
The rain subsided in about 15 minutes, but lightning still flashed a couple of kilometers away. At the same time, the competition organization poured water away from the high jump site.
After a while, the contestants were able to continue their jumps.
This hardly stopped there. The weather maps predicted that the heaviest heavy rain would hit Joensuu at 5 p.m.
On Saturday, the rescue service already gave the race organizers a warning: gale force winds, thunder and rain were predicted for the Joensuu area. The organization started preparing for the suspension well in advance.
Heavy rain hit Joensuu’s sports sanctuary at 2:20 p.m. Anni Saarela