Viivi Lehikoinen ran a new Finnish record.
Viivi Lehikoinen succeeded handsomely at the World Championships in Eugene. Pasi Liesimaa
At the World Championships in Athletics, we saw a wonderful Finnish performance early Thursday morning Finnish time, when Viivi Lehikoinen ran a new Finnish record in the women’s 400 meter hurdles.
Lehikoinen, 22, ran a time of 54.60 and was sixth in his heat. The run was close to perfect.
– It was pretty close to good. There’s always something to worry about in fences. Somewhere I had to walk on the fence a bit. It could be that the cassava fence went over a bit. It’s a tricky fence when you have to speed up the guard. Then the step wants to mix, but the rhythm should be kept tight, Lehikoinen reiterated in the press release of the Finnish Sports Association.
Lehikoinen put it like this Tuija Helanderin to the nearly 35-year-old history of SE time 54.62. Lehikoinen already ran a time of 54.95 in Tuesday’s heat.
– It was a cool thing for me to get the record under my own name, when I have dominated the sport in Finland for many years. I have been dreaming about this ever since I ran in the Kaleva Games, i.e. since 2013. It has become more realistic all the time, Lehikoinen said.
Lehikoinen made a small change to his semifinal run. In the opening round, he ran the first four fences with a rhythm of 15 steps.
Semi-final coach Laurent Meuwly suggested that Lehikoinen only run the first three fences with a rhythm of 15 paces.
– The change of plan from yesterday was a small risk. However, I was mentally prepared for the rhythm of the first set. In the semifinals, I ran three fence intervals with 15 steps and then with a rhythm of 16 steps to the seventh fence and the rest with 17 steps, Lehikoinen said.
– The intention was that there would be enough bangs for the end of the run, and I was able to fight quite well at the end. A successful run.
The fastest of the Lehikoinen batch was Holland’s Femke Bol, who ran a time of 52.84. The second of the lot was the United States Shamier Little with a time of 53.61.
A time comparison of 53.72 would have been required for a place in the final. In the first round, however, the second direct continuation place was lost with a time of 54.51.