“You have to run harder than that Kuivisto”

Finnish sports fans will have a little problem next summer, at least initially. A year ago, a total of four Finnish records at the 800 and 1,500 meters were broken at the Tokyo Olympics Sara Kuivisto will compete under the surname Lappalainen in the future. The top runner, who got married in the fall, took his spouse Olli Lappalainen using his last name.

– Certainly confusing. It sometimes confuses me too when I see my new name somewhere. I have to think for a moment who that is, Lappalainen laughs.

The 31-year-old athlete says that he has received feedback on the matter.

– A few gentlemen have come to say that it is not good. I like tradition, so I wanted to take my husband’s name.

– Don’t people slowly get used to it? You just have to run harder than that Kuivisto. People are no longer interested in any Kuivistos after that, Lappalainen sculpts.

More to give for 1,500 meters

Lappalainen’s autumn has also included big changes. The athletics crowd has been thinking for a long time whether the woman is going to invest more in one of the two trips in the future. A Lappalainen told recently For Länsiväylä magazine (you will switch to another service) that he will aim more for 1,500 meters in the future.

– It has been on my mind for a long time. Now we felt it was time, Lappalainen tells Urheilu.

– It doesn’t mean that I won’t run anymore. Let’s invest more in 1,500 meters and run more of those races.

The new emphasis will be visible in training to some extent. Lappalainen has clearly run more 800 meter races in the past.

– I’m a little inexperienced at 1,500 meters. Just by running more 1,500 meter races, you get development. There are no huge changes in training, but the lengths of the strokes increase and we run more. It means that 3,000 meters should also be run well. Let’s also invest a little in the overpass.

Lappalainen feels that he has more to give in the 1,500 meters. The Finnish record for women’s 800 meters is 1.59.41 and 4.02.35 for 1,500 meters. He was seventh in the European statistics on the latter trip in the summer of 2021.

– Even though my 1,500 meter record is a very good time and a tough time internationally, I have the feeling that it has come from that side. I know I have more grit for it.

The four-minute underdog motivates Lappalais. Since 2016, only five Europeans have broken the limit.

A good example for Finnish runners is Ireland Ciara Mageean. Mageean, who is a year younger than Lappa, improved his record last year by almost four seconds with a time of 3:56.63. It was the fourth fastest time in the world statistics.

Lappalainen says he didn’t like running 1,500 meters before. My mind changed last indoor season, when Lappalainen ran nicely to the finals in the World Indoor Championships.

– I became more friends with 1,500 meters then. I have liked running 800 meters much more. Winter was such a turning point.

Lappalainen does not rule out that his 800 meter record would not be improved. However, with the new emphasis, it can be even more challenging.

– When there is not as much competition as before, the result will be a bit dull. It can be difficult because there aren’t that many kasi tournaments. However, the potential must also exist in the casino.

Rehabilitation has taken time

Lappalainen’s last season ended with the match against Sweden on the first weekend of September. The very next week, both of his legs were amputated. The woman’s early fall was spent rehabilitating her legs.

The Lappanian has a place in the winter EC halls, but going there is not yet certain.

– To be honest, I expected that I would have been able to run a little faster and more. However, the legs were in such a state when they were operated on. It is clear that it will take some time.

– The biggest priority of all is to make the legs pain-free. If they’re as sore as they were last summer, I don’t want to run a single meter. It was just human abuse.

Lappalainen has done a lot of substitute training in the fall. The program has included, among other things, cycling.

– People think that when a runner has an injury, he is on vacation. The truth is that when you have an injury, you have to train twice as hard. Running is so much more taxing on the body. If you replace it with cycling, you have to do it triple the amount. All days I have been able to work out on cross trainers, in the swimming pool and in the weight room.

However, he has also managed to run.

– I run on a lightweight treadmill. I have done short runs, Lappalainen says.