Finns declare an Olympic team of 24 athletes

Turku, FinlandFollowing last weekend’s three day Finnish Championships in Vaasa (30 July to 1 August), a team of 24 athletes has been announced for the Athens Olympics.

There is a possibility of another eight athletes being added to the team, some of whom already have the “B” standard but who have been asked to show their form once more this week before selection.

Men

Javelin selection

The selection battle for the men’s Javelin squad was as ever highly contentious as one would expect for a country who has won seven Olympic titles in the men’s event (the last gold being in 1988, and the last medal 1996). The national championships were the final selection meet for the Olympics with Matti Narhi already automatically selected thanks to his 86.61 win at the Javelin Carnival meet.

Going into the championships there were four other men who held the Olympic “A” standard and of course a few other 80m throwers who were threatening that mark as well. The four were Tero Pitkämäki, Esko Mikkola and Pekka Alaräisänen had achieved their A-standard this season, and 1999 World champion and 2001 World silver medallist Aki Parviainen who set that level last year.

Parviainen who had only thrown once this season prior to the championships (78.81) due to injury was supposed to be in great form prior to the meeting, but it turned out not to be his time. The qualification round on Saturday (31 July) was conducted in very difficult wind conditions, but even considering that, Parviainen who is the world’s second longest thrower of all-time (93.09) was still way below par. He used all of his three throws just to record 71.50m, enough for 15th place and more than one metre away from qualification for the final.

All the other top throwers made it easily to the final, including Matti Närhi, who decided not to start the final due to small pain in his shoulder. Närhi, who has constantly been hampered with serious injuries, including those sustained in two World Championships in Seville 1999 and Edmonton 2001, had the luxury of this decision as the winner of the javelin carnival earlier in July. Traditionally the winner of that competition earns an early place in the major championships.

The final on Sunday had even worse weather with the same kind of difficult wind, but with rain added as well. 21-year-old Tero Pitkämäki, who only had his first throw over 80m in August 2003, who was third in the U23 European Championships last season, threw a very convincing 82.82m winning throw with all the others left below the 80m limit. Pitkämäki's personal best from this summer is 84.64m with which he placed second in the Carnival behind Närhi's 86.61m.

The third and last spot to the Olympics went to Esko Mikkola, who placed second in the national championships with 79.54m. However, Pekka Alaräisänen faded to eighth, and was pipped by Parviainen for the reserve spot on the team.

So the Finnish men’s Javelin squad for Athens is composed of three men all who are over 84m this season, with the best being Narhi’s 86.61m.

Karjalainen ready to hammer home a medal

However, the biggest Finnish medal hope does not come from Javelin or Shot Put this Olympic year. Rather it is former World Junior champion Olli-Pekka Karjalainen in the men’s Hammer who has risen to a new senior level this summer.

Karjalainen has broken his own Finnish record twice this season with a best of 83.30m coming in mid July. The young Finn has been very consistent, something he has not been during previous seasons, in Vaasa he won with 78.84m passing several of his throws and saving energy for the Olympics.

Harju – difficult to see successful defence

There will of course be three shot putters in Athens as well, including the reigning Olympic champion Arsi Harju. But Harju has been in trouble lately with injuries and only has a season's best of 19.48m and can't really be regarded as a contender for even a medal. Last year’s world finalists, Tepa Reinikainen and Ville Tiisanoja who make up the Olympic trio have also been below their usual form lately. With both Tiisanoja and Harju absent from the Finnish Championships, it was Reinikainen who took the win with a lowly 19.83m throw.

In the High Jump, there is Oskari Frösen who has earned a place in the Olympics, and in the rain at the weekend returned to 2.24m with his first attempt before passing his further heights because of the conditions.

Matti Mononen is the sole representative in the Pole Vault, but although the 20-year-old is very promising, he is not consistent enough yet. While he was close to clearing 5.72m in Lappeenranta a week before the championships, he was equal second with 5.50m at the nationals. Vesa Rantanen won the championships with 5.55m, but still has to seek for that A-standard of 5.65m to get to Athens, same goes for Mikko Latvala who was second equal in Vaasa with 5.50m.

Women

In the women Johanna Manninen will be running both 100 and 200m in Athens, she won the 100m in 11.41, but did not start the 200m heats in the national championships. But in 400m there was a really happy winner, Kirsi Mykkänen. She bettered the Olympic B-standard by just 0.03 seconds winning in 52.27, a personal best naturally. Having been a prominent young athlete in the 1990's, Mykkänen finally decided to give it a try in 2002/03. She came back in 2002 to a personal best of 56.89s with the earlier being 58.12s in 1998. In 2003 she quickly moved to become number one Finn over the 400m and lowered her pb to 53.32 and this she season she continued the rapid improvement to be rated as one of the most promising sprinters in Finland.

Valasti - comeback

Another comeback wonder has been 34-year-old Kirsi Valasti. Valasti recorded a 9:02.91 3000m in the age of 19 in 1989, but after missing the whole season of 1991 and not progressing during 1992 she decided to call it a day and retired from athletics. However she did come back as a 31-year-old in 2000 and after a couple of silent years, she came close to her best times from the 1980's running a 9:09.24 in Helsinki last August.

July 2004 finally saw the breakthrough for her, first she won an 3000m international match in Barcelona 8:57.10 (pb after 14 years!) and then placed 7th in the Madrid GP 3000m with another  personal best of 8:55.63 and then earned a place in the Olympics with 15:10.52 5000m clocking when finishing fourth in London last Friday.

But Valasti did not stop there, after travelling back to Finland she appeared on the track in the National Championships in Vaasa on Sunday and ran a totally solo race winning in 15:40.43. She will furthermore try to break the 10,000m B-standard in Turku next Sunday (32:17.00).

Koivula –  to Triple and Long Jump in Athens

After some foot injuries earlier this season European silver medallist Heli Koivula-Kruger will appear in the Triple Jump in Athens. She won the national championships with a season's best of 14.27m, but this time she will also Long Jump as well. She has improved her long jump PB to 6.65m this season and won the event in Vaasa as well.

In the Hammer, Sini Pöyry will be looking for a place in the final, she won with 67.40m in Vaasa and has a personal best of 69.16m earlier this season.

Ingberg looks to improve on her series of bronze medals

Three 60m+ javelin throwers will travel to Athens. Mikaela Ingberg, double European (1998/2002) and former World bronze medallist (1995), once again showed her fighting spirit by winning with her last throw of 60.96m in Vaasa, and has a season's best of 62.53m. She has the best shot for a medal amongst the Finnish women in the Olympics. Ingberg, from Vaasa, was fourth at the Worlds in Paris last season and will be looking to better that position this time.

Paula Huhtaniemi narrowly lost the national title with 60.06m and has a best of 62.63m from earlier this season, she is also the national record holder with 64.90m last year. Taina Kolkkala, the former World Junior champion is the third thrower in this event, she has a best of 61.46 from this summer and was third in Vaasa with a 59.03m throw.

In Heptathlon Tiia Hautala will enter her third Olympics. Hautala finally achieved the Olympic A-standard winning the National Championships with a total of 6076 points, her best for four years.

There are several athletes who can still add to this team total of 24 athletes, 15 men and 9 women. A few of them have to break the Olympic standard before the deadline of August 9 and a few others have to prove their form to get to the Olympics.

Mirko Jalava for the IAAF

Finnish Olympic team

Season's best after the event.

Men (15)

Janne Holmén marathon 2:12:10 (in 2003)
Jussi Utriainen marathon 2:13:10 (in 2002)
Oskari Frösén high jump 2.27m
Matti Mononen pole vault 5.65m
Arsi Harju shot put 19.48m
Tepa Reinikainen shot put 20.50m
Ville Tiisanoja shot put 20.90m
Jani Lehtinen 50km walk 3:59:31
Olli-Pekka Karjalainen hammer 83.30m
David Söderberg hammer 75.56m
Esko Mikkola javelin 84.27m
Matti Närhi javelin 86.61m
Tero Pitkämäki 84.64m
(reserve Aki Parviainen javelin 78.81m)
Jaakko Ojaniemi decathlon 7746p

Women (9)

Johanna Manninen 100m 11.36, 200m 23.49
Kirsi Mykkänen 400m 52.27
Kirsi Valasti 5000m 15:10.52
Heli Koivula-Kruger long jump 6.65m, triple jump 14.27m
Sini Pöyry hammer 69.16m
Paula Huhtaniemi javelin 62.63m
Mikaela Ingberg javelin 62.53m
Taina Kolkkala javelin 61.46m
Tiia Hautala heptathlon 6076p

Provisional athletes - results needed before Aug 9

Men

Wilson Kirwa 800m 1:46.50
Vesa Rantanen pole vault 5.65
Mikko Latvala pole vault 5.65
Tommi Evilä long jump 8.05
Johan Meriluoto triple jump 16.55

Women

Johanna Risku 1500m 4:06.50
Hanna Korell 100m hurdles 13.05
Merja Korpela hammer 67.50

NB. There is one more provisional athlete for the Finnish team, too. Conny Karlsson who is already accredited to the Games, but must make 20 metres before going to Athens (as a reserve, just like Parviainen in the men's Javelin).