Senni Salminen won the second round of the triple jump Finnish championship in Lahti with her result of 13.88. Kristiina Mäkelä, who won ten championships in the Kaleva Games, was the runner-up in an even race with a result of 13.80.
Emma Hyuppa,
Laura Arffman
The Kaleva Games in Lahti 27.–30.7. Urheilu follows the events in this article.
LAHTI. The penultimate performance of the Tromiloikka SM final race went through, but Senni from Salmi it did not grieve. He had already secured the first triple jump Finnish championship of his career before his last attempt, when the ten-time champion Kristiina Mäkelä failed to heal in the end.
Salminen, 26, waved with a wide smile to the audience in the sold-out main stand of Lahti Stadium and showed the TV camera a thumbs up.
Just over a month ago, Salmis had a completely different sound on the clock. After the Paavo Nurme Games, he revealed on social media that he hadn’t really enjoyed competing since the summer of 2021 and that every competition had mostly felt like a fight for survival.
Read more: Senni Salminen stated that everything is fine, even if he wanted to be anywhere other than the race venue – “Like on the plank of a pirate ship”
Now Salminen arrived at ‘s interview in a good mood. The most important question was whether the joy of competing was found today.
– Now I can honestly say that yes. There were no annoying thoughts during the race. It was nice to be there and take over the audience, Salminen said.
The triple jumper’s winning score of 13.88 is still far from his record. The cold and rainy weather was far from optimal in terms of the result. During Salminen’s winning jump, the wind was blowing contrary to 1.2 meters per second. Mäkelä was second with a result of 13.80 and Jessica Kähärä third (13,10).
Two summers ago, Salminen jumped to a Finnish record of 14.63 and with the help of the wind as much as 14.70. A year ago, Mäkelä improved SE by one centimeter to 14.64 in the EC final.
Salminen has previously won the SC gold in the long jump. He has three indoor championships from the triple jump, but he has not beaten the experienced Mäkelä before in the Kaleva Games.
– The first championship from the jump really warms you up. It has been fetched and it feels good. The result is not terribly pleasing, but a win is always a win. The last jumps were a bit on the side of over-trying, Salminen said.
Salminen took a break from competitions in mid-June after his opening race in the Vaisu, and as if he managed to dig out his lost competitive spirit, his coach Matti Mononen with assistance. In his comeback race a little over a week ago, Salminen jumped 14.03.
Salminen is preparing for the World Championships in Budapest in three weeks. He has not broken the competition limit of 14.52, but is firmly attached to the competition ticket through the ranking.
– Now you should practice a little, how to jump that triple jump, to dare to go to Budapest, Salminen laughed.
The Kaleva Games in Lahti 27.–30.7. Urheilu follows the events in this article.