Jukka Keskisalo in the World Steeplchase final in Paris (© Getty Images)
As part of our gradual buildup to next year’s 10th IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, we begin an occasional series of stories highlighting different aspects of Finland's athletics culture, both past and present.
Helsinki is the first city to have won the honour to hold the World Championships for a second occasion, marking out Finland’s special place within the Athletics family, something which was also recognised when the Finnish capital was given the privilege and trust of hosting the inaugural World Championships in 1983.
Of course, Finland’s parade event remains the Javelin, and even today Finland a country of only five million inhabitants remains the World's strongest javelin nation as according to the 2003 IAAF World Rankings.
Click here for related story - "Finland's Javelin youngsters are snapping at Parviainen's heels"
Flying Finns
However, Finland's illustrious athletics history has also rested on the exploits of its distance runners.
Before the Second World War, Olympic long distance running history is largely that of 'The Flying Finns'.
After a substantial fall from power in the 1950’s which reached its lowest point in the early 1960s, a memorable renaissance took place in the seventies, after which a second decline in Finnish running fortunes has followed.
The confidence of Finnish running is once again on the up, with a new generation of runners ambitiously training on the many kilometres of pine trails that cut through Finland’s vast forests.
Antti-Pekka Sonninen reports on the present state of Finnish distance running...
Holmen and Utriainen are ready for the Olympic marathon
Finland sent no long distance runners to the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, but that will not happen in Athens this year.
At least one, most likely two, Finnish men will run the classic Olympic Marathon route in Athens.
Janne Holmen who surprisingly became European Marathon champion in 2002, did not run at the World Championships in Paris last year, because he wanted to concentrate in his speed development on the track. That plan worked as he ran 28:09.94 for 10,000m - almost 14 seconds faster than before, but that was not quite good enough for the Paris World Championships.
Holmen will return to the road in Athens, having cleared the Olympic qualification standard by running his personal best (2.12.10) in Berlin last September, but he is unlikely to be seen on tracks before Athens.
“Only one or two small road races in Sweden, where I live. That is it,” Holmen said in Gothenburg last Friday after placing second in an international half-marathon (1:04.11).
Holmen’s winter went without problems in South Africa, and as usually, his main summer training camp will take him to Fort Romeau, France for two weeks in June and three more in July - August.
Family distractions
His life has changed a lot home in Uppsala since last June when his Moroccan wife Laila (sister of Khalid Shah, the 10,000 m Olympic Champion in 1992) gave birth to their son Zackaria.
“Yes, something totally new to do! When Laila went to her work again, I took a pause off my history studies at the university and stayed home. Laila has a long lunch hour during which she takes care of Zackaria when I run, and in the evening I make my second daily training run,” confirms Holmen.
“I find this arrangement good: I have something else other than running or studying to think about and of course it is wonderful to see our son grow up every day. Unfortunately my family can not follow me to France now.”
“I have always dreamed about running the marathon at the Olympic Games, because even the participation is a great honour for an athlete. The Olympic course is very tough and the conditions will be very warm. I will have to run a race of my own.”
Well that is exactly what Holmen did at the Europeans in Munich two years ago. He knew his shape and made his move before the Spanish and Italians even noticed him - and then it was too late, and the gold was Finland’s. Is it time for another surprise again in Athens?
Utriainen - Cross-Country double
Jussi Utriainen (European Junior Bronze in 10,000m 1997) has not finished a fast marathon after running his PB 2.13.10 in late 2002. He collapsed after 25 km in the World Championships and ended only 65th, but he believes that the Finnish Olympic Committee will name him in the Athens-team at its meeting on 25 May.
Utriainen certainly produced a fantastic performance at the Finnish Cross-Country Championships last weekend (16 May) in Porvoo. He won both the 4 and 12 km races over a period of only two and a half hours. He became the first Finn to make that double - very respective in a chilly (+10) and windy weather. Not even Nurmi or Viren successfully trod that path!
“Now I know that my endurance is ok. I hope that my half-marathon pb 1.03.45 in Houston in January will convince the selectors."
“I lost all of my energy in Paris, but I wanted to finish the race, which was not easy in front of a full crowded Stade de France. But it did not leave any psychological state of fear in my mind. Neither did it leave any extra need to show all the World that I am not that bad a runner!”.
Problems with Keskisalo´s feet
Jukka Keskisalo became Finland's second fastest ever steeplechaser when placing 9th in the World Championships final in Paris last year (8:17.72), and he is expected to break Tapio Kantanen’s national record (8:12.60, Montreal 1976) in the near future.
However, he has suffered from some minor foot injuries during this training season. Last autumn Keskisalo, 23, had pain in his knee and this spring his heel has been hurting.
“Jukka was forced to step on a bicycle instead of running in early May, but now the pain is gone and he flew to St. Moritz, Switzerland on Monday (17 May) for a three-week training camp,” confirmed Keskisalo´s personal and Finland’s head distance running coach, Tommy Ekblom.
“I am optimistic. Jukka has not been able to do jumping training in the whole winter and spring, but has been running so much and effectively that I cannot see why he could not make a good summer.”
Altitude training for the first time
Keskisalo (European U23-bronze in 2003) had a long training camp in South-Africa in January - February and another in March. He didn’t have any experience of high altitude training before, but thinks that it can’t cause any harm.
“It is not easy anymore to improve my PB quickly - absolutely not 18 seconds in one year as I did in 2003,” confirms Keskisalo. “If the altitude training helps me even by 2 - 3 seconds - why shouldn’t I use it?”
One of Keskisalo´s goals was to break Ekblom’s PB 8:19.40 (Helsinki 1983) and so he did in Paris.
Ekblom represented Finland at six international championships – including two Olympic finals - but never reached the absolute top level.
“After running sub 8.20 I thought that well, next step 8.10 and so on,” said Ekblom. “I had to see, that in distance running things don’t go just like that. I hope and believe that I can be a good example to Jukka: he must be very patient and ready for hard work every day. Luckily he is mentally a very strong young man.”
Risku – Finland’s female ace
Johanna Risku, 25, made an impressive break through into international level last year. She improved her personal best by almost 6 seconds in the 1500 metres and took the World Student Games silver medal in Daegu, Korea.
Risku set her personal best of 4:07.32 in June 2003 in Oslo, but it was slightly too slow for a Paris-qualification. She also ran a new Finnish record 9:55.44 (first ever under 10 minutes in Finland) for the 3000m Steeplechase. Now the question is, what will be the main distance of this law-student from Turku?
“We’ll see. I had a fine season in 1500m, but it depends: it would be nice to run the Steeplechase in Helsinki World Championships next year. That will be the first time the women’s event is run at a major championship."
“So far 5000m metres has been too long for me, but I’ll try it in Milan on 2 June,” confirms Risku.
Risku, who easily won the national women´s 6 km cross country in Porvoo, is engaged to Tuomo Lehtinen, one of the most talented young runners in Finland. Lehtinen who was 6th at the 1997 European Juniors and 1998 World Juniors at the Steeplechase now has his eyes set on the Marathon in Helsinki 2005. His debut was 2:19:27 last December.
Even younger hopes
Then there is the promising list of younger female distance runners headed by the 2001 European Junior Championships medallists, Riina Tolonen (1500 bronze), Ulla Tuimala (3000m bronze) and Elina Lindgren (5000m silver).
The Flying Finns are returning...!
