Viivi Lehikoinen was sixth in the EC final.
Viivi Lehikoinen ran in the EC final. Pasi Liesimaa
– What?! Topi won?, aturi Viivi Lehikoinen exclaimed in disbelief at the Olympic Stadium in Munich.
Lehikoinen did not believe Raitanen’s top to the European Championship, as he had not had time to watch the men’s 3,000-meter race. The joy shone far from the face.
Lehikoinen himself ran sixth in the 400-meter hurdles EC final on Friday. The time was 55.58.
It’s disappointing, because the Finn clocked a Finnish record of 54.50 in the semifinals and was the third fastest.
– The beginning went really badly. The concentration was strained. I went two steps too far at the first fence. It was really hard to put together. The momentum stopped so much.
– All fences had a little something. A really bad run.
For Lehikoinen, the adult competition final is the first in her career. At the European Championships in Berlin 2018 and last summer’s Olympics, he missed the heats.
In the World Championships, he reached the semi-finals, but not the final.
In Munich, a place in the final was the minimum goal, but a tough challenge. Only Norway’s Amalie Iuel had run slower than the Finn this season.
– The beginning is a bit difficult. I have to take such a big step. Sometimes in training I can’t get to the fence with 22 steps. It has happened in the race that I have come to the first fence with the wrong foot.
Gold for a friend
Viivi Lehikoinen was upset, because the chances for a medal were there. Pasi Liesimaa
Lehikoinen, who was in the same coaching group, won the gold Femke Bol. Both are coached by a Swiss Laurent Meuwly.
Bol won the double in Munich. He already celebrated the 400-meter smooth European championship.
– Femke can handle anything. The new rule made this possible. 3+3 runs and the relay would have been too heavy for Femke, Lehikoinen pointed Bol directly to the semi-final spot.
The bronze medal came off with a time of 54.86. It saddens Lehikoi, who has run three times harder.
– I wish I could have done better. Everyone had Femke’s back from the bottom lines.