Szymon Ziolkowski of Poland competing in Lappeenranta (© Paula Noronen)
Lappeenranta, FinlandForeign athletes took the staring roles at the fourth of six meetings of the Finnish Federation’s annual Elite Games Series - EAA Permit - which was held in Lappeenranta, south eastern Finland on Thursday (13), but some bright flashes of form were shown by the Finns as well.
Just like last summer, Poland’s 2000 Olympic and 2001 World Champion Szymon Ziolkowski beat Finnish record holder Olli-Pekka Karjalainen in the men’s Hammer Throw. Ziolkowski produced 80.49m, while Karjalainen answered with a best of 79.07m - his second best performance of the season.
"I am a bit surprised with my result today. I did not have too good a feeling in the warm-up, so throwing over 80m pleases me,” said Ziolkowski.
After a few difficult years Ziolkowski has made a strong comeback with a bronze medal at the World Championships in Helsinki last summer.
"I am not worried, because there is still lot of time before the Europeans, and I have made very good training. Still I must admit, that I would not say ‘no’ to a huge throw far over 80 metres at this point of the season,” said Karjalainen, who finished fifth at last summer’s World Championships.
8.26m Long Jump
With extreme assistance from the wind, World Championship 7th placer Godfrey Mokoena of South Africa jumped to 8.26m (+3.9m/s) to win the men's Long Jump, while in the men's Javelin Throw, Finland's 2003 European Junior champion Teemu Wirkkala, 22, threw 79.82m, ahead of world junior season's leader, Ari Mannio, who had a best of 78.44m in second.
Japanese and USA success in the sprints
On the track, Masato Naito of Japan clipped 0.01 seconds from his PB in the men’s 110m Hurdles when winning in 13.46 seconds. His compatriot Yuiji Ohasji placed second, 0.26 seconds behind.
The wind was very tricky during the meeting: a +1.8 m/s headwind in the Hurdles but a -0.5 tail in the 100m which was won by Jordan Vade of the USA in 10.39 seconds. Another American, Bernard Williams finished next, 0.02 second behind.
Rachel Boone-Smith of the USA, the World Championships silver medallist at 200m, easily won the women’s 100m. She clocked 11.43 and was 0.26 seconds faster than Finland’s Heidi Hannula, a European Indoor 60m finalist, who has suffered from a damaged hamstring during the last 3 - 4 weeks.
Mononen vaults PB of 5.70m
Matti Mononen of Finland flew successfully to his PB of 5.70m in the men‘s Pole Vault and can now be sure of being selected into the Finnish team for the European Championships in Gothenburg.
"I have been waiting for top results for all the season so far, and finally I have found it! I made some technical training sessions in a lake: making very slow movements with the base of the pole fixed to the bottom of the lake,” explained Mononen about his extremely Finnish training methods.
"It is nothing new, our summer cottage has been a secret in my top fitness also in some previous seasons,” smiled Mononen. His last attempt at a new Finnish record 5.83m came quite close, but he said, he did not have enough energy as he had made six jumps in a very short time this afternoon.
Mononen has been regarded as maybe the biggest national talent in this event ever in a country which has produced men’s Pole Vault World record breakers, global medallists and European champions over the decades.
He injured his back in a car accident with a truck in January 2005 when he and his father-coach Markku Mononen were on their way back home from a training camp in South Africa. Matti Mononen recovered for the accident very fast and jumped to the bronze medal at the U23 European Champs in Erfurt in July 2005.
Which three Finnish shot putters for Gothenburg?
Thursday evening gave no answer to the question, which Shot putters will represent Finland at the European Championships in Gothenburg? World Championship finalist Ville Tiisanoja won today with 20.02 metres, Robert Häggblom placed next with 19.66m, with Mika Vasara, third (19.54), and Conny Karlsson, another former World Championship finalist, only fourth (19.16m).
Four men qualified for Sweden, already one too many, and besides, the 2000 Olympic champion, Arsi Harju will open his outdoor season in the Lapinlahti Elite Games meet next Sunday 17 July!
One of the happiest runners of the day was Finland’s Ilona Ranta, who set her new PB of 56.82 seconds in the women’s 400m Hurdles at her home stadium. It must be remembered, that the track of the Kimpinen Sports Ground in Lappeenranta has just been renovated and the Mondo track is not at it’s fastest yet.
"Nevertheless, I found this brand new track very good already now. I had no home advantage as I had no chance to train on this track not even a single time", said Ranta, the 2001 European Junior Championships, 5th placer.
Antti-Pekka Sonninen for the IAAF
