Santtu Silvennoinen
Finnish athletics has changed drastically, writes Santtu Silvennoinen from Turku.
Johannes Vetter showed off his 91 meters at the 2020 Paavo Nurmi Games. Roni Lehti
– I would have very much liked to have competed on Wednesday in Turku, commented 2024 EC bronze medalist Oliver Helander.
– The Paavo Nurme stadium is my favorite place to throw, added the Finn, who spends most of his time training in Estonia with his coach Magnus Kirti.
The men’s javelin has been the highlight of Paavo Nurmi’s title competitions organized since 2013. The kind of classic that attracts casual viewers.
Johannes Vetter raced 91.49 meters at the Paavo Nurmi Games in 2020 and Thomas Röhler 91.28 four years earlier.
There have been wonderful javelin competitions in this decade as well. In 2023, the top three: Jakub Vadlejch (89.51 meters), Helander (87.32) and Julian Weber (85.82). In 2022: Helander (89.83), Neeraj Chopra (89.30) and Anderson Peters (86.60).
Last year, Turku’s main product tasted like cardboard when the top guys weren’t included.
– I understand very well why the men’s javelin was not organized in Turku this year, Helander said.
The reason is simple: Diamond league sucked oxygen from Turku. On Sunday, the men threw a stick in Rabat, and on Thursday, the proboscis bucks are munching on the 800 gram in Rome.
Finnish athletics has changed drastically.
Even if a considerable part of the world’s best javelin throwers had been brought to the edge of Aurajoki, it would not necessarily have been the main throwing sport of the Paavo Nurmi Games.
In previous years, the women ate moukari from approximately 4:30 p.m. On Wednesday, the women’s javelin was the number one throwing sport at the Nurmi Games. It started at 19:42. For the last time, Leka soaked the ground a little before the last race of the event, the women’s 100-meter hurdles, had been rushed. It went according to the event script, because televised athletics competitions always end with a running race.
The Moukarinaites gave their stake place a cover. Camryn Rogers threw 80.09, Silja Kosonen 76.41 and Krista Tervo 75.55 meters.
Camryn Rogers threw the javelin over 80 meters on Wednesday in Turku. Sami Nurmi