Andreas Thorkildsen throwing with his earflap wool hat in Split (© Getty Images)
Kuortane, FinlandNorway’s Andreas Thorkildsen made a solid come back after a groin injury in Kuortane where he won the Javelin competition with a 84.33m mark in the final round at the Finnish Elite Games on Saturday (25).
Finnish Javelin throwers were far from their best shape, but in the other events the home crowd had something to cheer for as Merja Korpela in the women’s Hammer Throw and Jukka Keskitalo in the 3000m Steeplechase produced B entry standards for this summer’s World Championships.
Thorkildsen opened the competition in the rain with 82.65m. That would have been far enough to seal the victory, but the two-time Olympic champion hit 82.36m in the fourth round, too. In all, three throws over the 80m line, a distance no one else could manage even once.
"I was more nervous than normally before the competition, because I hadn’t had any competitions in a month,” Thorkildsen said. “I’m satisfied with my result and the fact that I don’t feel any pain now. Of course it’s always something special to beat the Finns on their own soil."
Ari Mannio was the best Finn with his second round throw of 79.60 and Antti Ruuskanen set his season best 78.98 in the third round. Tero Pitkämäki, who has suffered from a lower back injury for some weeks, only reached 77.05m and placed fifth while Sweden´s Gabriel Wallin marked 78.76 in his third attempt.
"Quite pathetic! My last throw was not bad at all, but I threw it too high, but I feel, I’m in the best form of my life," Mannio said.
Pitkämäki, who threw less than 80 metres for the first time since 2004 and lost to a Swede for the first time, admitted that his situation is not very good at the moment.
"The injury did not bother me today, but my technique was very bad and I was not physically ready, either. Hopefully I’ll get the pieces together before my next competition in Lausanne’s Samsung Diamond League next Thursday."
Thorkilsen will also compete in Lausanne.
Korpela ready for Daegu
Korpela produced a solid series in the women’s Hammer Throw: 68.51m, 67.40m, 69.30m, 68.06m, foul and 68.10m. Her best mark secured her ticket to the World Championships while Ukraine’s Nataliya Zolotukhina was left in second place with 68.36m.
"It’s important to set the entry standard for Daegu this early in the season. My new coach Harri Huhtala (fifth at the 1984 Olympic Games) has not been changing my technique so much. Just some small things, but he is completely trusting in me, and I like that," smiled Korpela.
Tuomas Seppänen took a nice victory in the men’s Hammer Throw, setting a PB 75.31m in the second round. Tajikistan’s Dilshod Nazarov was second 60 centimetres behind. Seppänen already had the B standard from Tampere but wants more.
"My goal is to set the A standard of 78 metres, although the level in our event is so low that B will probably be enough for selection, too," believes Seppänen.
Long Jumper Tommi Evilä was suffering from the flu couple of weeks ago, but is now rounding into shape: 7.98m in the second round, 7.92m in the fifth and 7.96m in the sixth. South Africa’s World junior champion Luvo Manyonga reached 7.96 in the final round.
"I’m very satisfied with my run and physical shape, but I must improve my landing. I was starting to prepare it much too soon in the air and lost lots of centimetres,” Evilä said.
Keskisalo improving race by race
Jukka Keskisalo, the 2006 European champion in the 3000m Steeplechase, ran strong in his main event and clocked a season’s best 8:29.47, also under the 8:32.00 B standard for Daegu. Janne Ukonmaanaho fought hard, but his personal best 8:32.03 was 0.03 seconds too slow.
"Perhaps the first kilometre was a bit too slow, but all in all this was my best race of this season. I was expecting this kind of a time already in Tampere on June 12. Now I will not risk anything by going abroad: It’s better to stay in Finland," said Keskisalo.
Jonathan Åstrand, who ran 20.50 in the 200m at the European Team Championships 1st League in Izmir a week ago, clocked 20.85 in the cold rain without a real challenge.
The rain started when Minna Nikkanen and Russia’s Alexandra Kiryashova had cleared 4.30m in the women´s Pole Vault. Then Kiryashova flew over 4.38 at her first attempt, but Nikkanen missed three times.
A-P Sonninen for the IAAF
