Track and field athlete Toni Piispanen won the fourth Paralympic medal of his career in Paris, even though his preparations were disrupted by a broken femur in the spring. The competition’s award ceremony stretched late into the evening.
Pertti Lappalainen,
Emma Jump
Toni Piispanen bagged the silver medal he won in the 200 meters at the Paris Paralympics late on Tuesday evening. He celebrated on the podium together with Canada, who won the T51 class competition Cody Fournie and Belgium, who won the bronze by Peter Genyn with.
– This is a great moment for me, but also certainly for the whole team, when we opened the medal account. I believe that there will be many more medals, Piispanen said in an interview with after the award ceremony.
The prize distribution was delayed from the original plan from the afternoon to the evening, when after the competition Belgium made a protest, to which Canada responded with a counter-protest.
Read more: The protest saga is over – Toni Piispanen’s Paralympic silver did not shine
There was still enough program in the bishop’s day, even though the festivities were moved. Tuesday passed with happy signs.
– There were hundreds, almost thousands of messages, which took an afternoon to browse. I didn’t even have time to think about naps. Once I did, Piispanen smiled.
Bishop suffered a broken femur in April, which made his preparation extraordinary. At the same time, the season tinged with adversity created a unique meaning for the medal.
Piispanen reminds us that each of his four Paralympic medals contains a different story. Getting in shape for the race this summer was a little difficult.
– This is a demonstration of our team’s strength, that in half a year you can get from the operating table to this kind of condition. 2-3 weeks ago, at least the thoughts were far from this moment, Piispanen revealed.
– By believing in the process, you can achieve anything.
At the trophy, Piispanen dared to stop and think about what the season has contained.
– We have come through the journey from the collision in April and breaking the femur to this point. When I woke up from the operating room and thought, how is this process going, Piispanen recalled.
The injury changed the focus of training. Before Paris, the bishop’s power values were stronger than ever. The 48-year-old track and field athlete was able to hone his technique only in Midsummer.
– After the surgery, I couldn’t fit in a wheelchair for two months. We did strength training and believed that increasing the strength would compensate for the winding technique.
Piispanen will still compete in the 100 meters at the Paris Paralympics. The final is scheduled for Friday, September 6. at 10:08 p.m.