With her new record time of 1:59.59, Eveliina Määttänen was only 0.18 seconds behind Sara Lappalainen’s Finnish record.
19:51•Updated 20:21
Eveliina Määttänen has set a new record of 1.59.59 in the women’s 800 meters run in connection with the Stockholm Diamond League competition.
Määttänen, selected for the European Championships starting next week in Rome, improved his previous running record this season by 0.15 seconds and finished third in the competition.
– Before the run, I was a bit nervous about whether I had recovered from the lactic acid bath of the Oslo race, Määttänen said in SUL’s press release, referring to Thursday’s Diamond League race, where he reached a high initial speed.
Now in Stockholm, his 400-meter split time was 58.1, while in Oslo it slipped below 57 seconds after being one second slower than now.
– The Oslo race was still felt in my body, but now it came off just fine when I just let go. It seems that composure is also important in speed distribution, Määttänen mused.
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The time 1:59.59 is the second best on Finland’s all-time list. Määttänen is currently in eighth place in European statistics.
– Without a doubt, Eveliina can aim for a place in the final competition at the European Championships, even though the value race runs are not always smooth speed runs. There you have to know the secrets of the kasisa hundred and be tactically alert all the time. After all, Eveliina has already trained with these, reminds ‘s expert Tuomas Raja.
Määttänen has run under 2:00 a total of five times now.
– He is in a very good mood and has scored many runs in that same second. Finland’s record is already waiting for itself. Maybe that and at the same time even if the Olympic limit of 1.59.30 could go in Rome. There, of course, a lot depends on the nature of the runs, says Raja.
Britain’s Jemma Reekie won the Stockholm 800 meter race with a time of 1:57.79. of Kenya Vivian Chebet Kiprotich was second with a time of 1:58.64.
Stockholm Diamond League results (teletext) here
The athletics summer of the two prestigious competitions starts from the 7th to the 12th. in June at the European Championships in Rome. broadcasts the contests on its channels and website. See the Finns, program and broadcast times of the European Athletics Championships here