Urheilu’s expert Mikaela Ingberg has closely followed the career of pole vaulter Wilma Murro. According to Ingberg, Murto has now established his place at the international top of the sport.
Tiina Lillak (1983), Sari Essayah (1991 & 1993), Mikaela Ingberg (1995) and now Wilma Murto. It features the Finnish women who won medals at the World Championships in Athletics.
Urheilu’s current expert Mikaela Ingberg took the javelin to the World Championship bronze in 1995. It was 28 years before Wilma Murto ended the long dry Finnish season.
Ingberg, who is now an expert at Urheilu, has followed Murro’s career since the current Finnish star was still a junior athlete.
There are interesting similarities in Ingberg’s and Murro’s story.
– Wilma won her first medal (gold) last year in Munich, where I was at the EC medals in 2002. In Budapest, I also took EC bronze (1998).
– I am really happy for him. After all, it had already been an unnecessarily long time since this World Cup medal on the women’s side, Ingberg laughs.
Murto reached the bronze with a result of 480. He crossed it really airily on his first over, but fell from three heights.
– It was amazing and a really high jump. However, it cannot be duplicated just like that. However, the final was really tough.
A great achievement for Finnish women’s athletics
The breach is the first on a global level since 2015 and Tero Pitkämäki javelin World Cup bronze. It is also Finland’s first medal won by a non-javelin athlete in 18 years. Tommi Evilä won bronze at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.
In his career, Ingberg won a prestigious medal three times in the 1990s and early 2000s.
After Ingberg, Finnish women’s athletics has lacked a clear global star. What does this mean for Finnish women’s athletics?
– The time intervals show that medals at the global level are not just won. In the big picture, this shows that he has reached the next level in his career.
– It is important that there are role models like Wilma. Wilma’s road to the top has not been easy, but she has worked extremely hard Jarno Koivunen with. Now he is being rewarded for extreme professionalism. I would not limit this only to Finnish athletics, but to Finnish women’s sports in general, Ingberg reminds.
Ingberg is an experienced expert in how to grab a World Cup medal. The ex-top javelin thrower finds clear factors that connect him and Murto.
– Both of us are comfortable in an international environment, which is extremely important if you want to succeed in prestigious competitions. I have to feel that I belong here and come to the home arena every time I compete in value competitions. Networking with other competitors is also important.