Expert Arto Bryggare packages the World Championship events of the night before Saturday.
Raitanen’s top a realistic goal has long been a medal from the European Championships in Munich in 2022. For a Finn, a World Cup or Olympic medal would be like a big win in the Ässä lottery.
– In retrospect, you can say that it was of course not smart to go to Eugene. Even in advance, I thought that it might have been smarter to skip the World Cup gig and focus only on the European Championships. But how do you know that you will get sick at the World Championships, says Iltalehti’s athletics expert Arto Bryggare.
The best endurance runner in Finland competed in the preliminaries of Eugene the night before Saturday, plagued by health problems. Let’s get into that further.
It is essential to consider why the man went on a difficult World Cup trip, when the United States basically had more to lose than to win.
– The question is, what attracted him to Eugene? At least there were no financial incentives, even if it had been in the final, Bryggare lamented.
Round-the-clock travel from home to the back of the rapako, a ten-hour time difference, heat and accommodation reminiscent of a cargo ship’s cabin. Finally, the same travel and time difference package when returning to Finland.
– The strain is great, and now we should soon go up high again to train. The package is tough: up to the mountains of Flagstaff to 2,000 meters above sea level for three weeks for a training camp, to the World Championships, Travel to home country and then up again for the European Championships.
Raitanen’s downfall on the World Cup stage was a stomach ailment. Vomiting flew, and on Friday’s steeplechase qualifying race day, no food stayed inside.
– Topi was clearly ill. In such a situation, you won’t get anywhere in the World Cup. Now hurry to Finland and recover.
“Totally missing”
Topi Raitanen was on the road to suffering in Oregon. Pasi Liesimaa
The second Finnish disappointment of the night before Saturday was the SE man in the long jump Kristian Pulli.
– The bottle is completely missing. Ineffective. The run didn’t come at all. The weakest I’ve seen him in years.
The Finnish fell behind with a score of 756 and was eliminated from the final. Pulli complained of impotence in Oregon.
– He always runs the risk of going a little overboard when the power is on throughout the year.
We went to the long jump final with a mediocre result of 793.
– The Europeans are strong in the finals: Sweden, Greece and Switzerland. That’s great.
The burglary was brilliant
Wilma Murro had reason to smile. PASI STOVE LAND/IL
Wilma Murto was by far the best Finn in the latter session of the first day of the World Cup. Cool and steady work in the pole vault qualification, two jumps, two crossings and to the final with a score of 450.
– Murto was strong. Also Saga Andersson jumped well compared to the starting points. Elina Lampela the leg injury in Espoo was visible, because the running is not in the same shape as before the injury.
Andersson’s result was 435 and Lampela’s 420.
They were eliminated from the finals.
Bad move
Marcel Jacobs does not insure. PASI STOVE LAND/IL
The hardest result last night was the USA by Fred Kerley 9.79 in the first half of the hundred.
– Kerley ran exceptionally well. He wanted to tinker and give a storm warning to his fellow Yankees. They are given in the semi-finals. Or a guy in really good shape keeps his cards hidden until the final.
The expert was puzzled by the Yankees’ blunder in the 4×400 meter medley relay.
– The Yanks were totally screwed when they lost that message. It was apparently agreed that the better runners would run the regular 4×400 meter relays and should get them Allyson Felix to the track. The USA’s gold lost to the soft performance of the anchor. I don’t understand the idea of putting the B team in.
The USA was third in the medley relay. The Dominican Republic won and the Netherlands took silver.
An interesting figure in the heat of the men’s 100 was last season’s Olympic champion Marcel Jacobs. The man from the macaroni country, who competed very shortly after his star moment, ran his season’s best 10.04.
– He will be fit for the European Championship, but probably won’t make it to the World Cup final.
The final race of the Hundred will be run on Sunday morning at 05:50 Finnish time.