Linus Thörnblad in Helsinki (© Hasse Sjögren)
Sweden took the lead in the men’s and women’s competitions in the legendary annual match against Finland after the conclusion of the first day in Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium yesterday (29).
The spectators on a clear but chilly Friday evening saw a very close men’s fight, in which Sweden was stronger by three points 103 - 100. That had not been calculated, but Swedish women’s team’s lead 106 - 98 was more expected.
Olli-Pekka Karjalainen, the captain of the Finnish men’s team showed by example in the Hammer Throw. Karjalainen, 6th at the Beijing Olympic Games, produced a solid 77.31m throw, and has now been unbeaten during this decade in the Sweden-match.
Finland's Frantz Kruger, 11th in Beijing, also took a much expected first place in the Discus Throw with his 4th round mark of 63.08.
European 3000m Steeplechase champion Jukka Keskisalo ran his first race since a very unlucky accident in the Finnish pre-Beijing training camp in Marugame, Japan, which caused him to withdraw from the Olympics at the last minute. When Keskisalo was practising his hurdling technique at full speed, his spikes caught in the track surface as he approached a barrier and he hit the wooden bar of the obstacle squarely and with great force, both thigh muscles sustaining heavy bruising.
Yesterday in his first competition since that accident Keskisalo won the 3000m Steeplechase safely in 8:36.08, although Sweden's Per Jakobsen bravely challenged him on the last lap.
"My thighs were still quite stiff,” said Keskisalo, “but I had only one training session on the track before this race. I have a place at the Golden League in Brussels (5 Sep), but I must get myself into a fresher condition. Otherwise it doesn’t make sense to start there," Keskisalo admitted.
With Beijing finallist Sweden's Johan Wissman competing in Zürich, Matti Välimäki broke a 20 year spell of defeat for Finland by winning the men’s 400m in 47.17 seconds. It was the first Finnish victory in that event since Juha Pyy in 1988.
"Yes, I heard about this fact at the hotel just before leaving for the Stadium. I think I can run under 47 secs again in this season, but today I just wanted to secure first place," said Finnish champion Välimäki, 21.
Sweden surprisingly knocked together a 1-2-3 victory in the men’s 5000m, led home by Erik Sjöqvist in 14:09.16.
Stefan Holm, 4th in Beijing, said goodbye to the "Finnkampen" by placing second in the High Jump behind his team mate Linus Thörnblad 2.26 - 2.28. Holm, the 2004 Olympic champion and multiple medallist in other international championships, will retire after this season.
Drama in the women’s relay
Carolina Klüft won the women’s Long Jump with a 6.44m leap and anchored Sweden to a dramatic 4x100m relay victory. Klüft was 2 metres behind Finland’s Jenna Jokela during the home straight until Jokela´s hamstring cramped 10 metres before the finishing line and Klüft passed her 45.15 to 45.25 sec.
Finland’s team captain Mikaela Ingberg won the Javelin Throw with her last of 59.51m. Ingberg, 34, a multiple World continental championship medallist has promised to continue her long career at least for one more year.
One of the most surprising clean sweeps for the Finns was seen in the women´s Pole Vault in which Minna Nikkanen, European Junior champion last year, won (4.20) and took three attempts at a new national record of 4.36m.
Nikkanen did not clear that height and said, that she’s not worried about being unable to improve the Finnish record of 4.35, set in 2007, during this season.
"All of my physical test results are better that a year ago, but my techique hasn't been working well enough," said Nikkanen.
Antti-Pekka Sonninen for the IAAF
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