Like last year, high jumper Ella Junnila reached the finals of the prestigious competition.
Joel Sippola,
Laura Arffman
From Ella Junnila in the women’s high jump, we saw an extraordinary amount of wild joy and fanning after their jumps. The Finnish woman, who was in great shape, was clearly liberated after her successful jumps.
The 25-year-old Junnila advanced to her first EC final on outdoor tracks with a clean streak.
Especially the crossings from heights 185, 189 and 192 aroused cheers. The qualifying limit was 192. The last time a Finnish woman was seen in the height final of the European Championships was 58 years ago.
– The jumps felt good in every way from the beginning. My ventilation principle is that if the jump feels good, it should be ventilated. In the last ones, I fanned because the big Q is a particularly tough thing in qualifying for the prestigious competitions. I’m really happy about that, Junnila stated and pointed with a big Q to clearing the qualifying line.
In 2021, Junnila achieved EC indoor bronze, but on the outdoor tracks, the prestigious competitions were difficult for a long time. A year ago, the ketchup bottle snapped open properly when Junnila reached the World Cup final in Budapest.
In Rome, he has always had a calm and confident feeling.
– I’m physically in really good shape. Although two of the three previous races were applications, the basic elements were in place. I like competing in races of value. I thought I could clear this up.
Meeting with the Swedish giant
The women’s height final will be contested on Sunday. Junnila said her recovery plan was an ice bath.
– The jump will not disappear in two days. It’s more about how to succeed in recovery.
After Junnila’s opening goal, the field saw a good-natured and warm meeting between the Finn and the Swede. Swedish puck star Daniel Ståhl and Junnila were chatting casually.
– Daniel wished me well. I also wished him well. I stated that I watched his throws in the men’s discus qualifying in the morning. I got the feeling that there was going to be a long throw, Junnila told about the story.
Ståhl, who speaks Finnish, is, among other things, an Olympic champion and world champion in the sport. However, he finished fourth in the discus final in Rome. Slovenia celebrated the victory Kristjan Ceh.