Top Finnish athletics can be seen on ‘s channels this summer as well. The season opens on June 7. Jyväskylä GP competition.
The tough group of four is together again.
The waiting of the Finnish athletics nation will be rewarded on Wednesday, when Reetta Hurske, Annimari Korte, Nooralotta Neziri and Lotta Harala have been competing in the same race for a long time. The last time they competed against each other was in the 2020 Kaleva Games.
If the four make it through the heats without any problems, they will all be seen in the 100-meter hurdles final in Jyväskylä at 20:08.
The Finnish athletics nation got used to several years of hard shots from rowing women on GP nights. Last summer was different in this sense, because most of the top names were at the dock. Out of the four, Hurske actually wanted the games, but he wasn’t in his best shape either.
Now the expectations are sky high. Hurske became the European champion in the 60-meter hurdles during the Halli period and recently fell just two hundredths short of his record of 12.78 four years ago.
The Finnish record of 12.72 is held by Kortte.
Now Korte started his outdoor track season with a time of 12.88 and Neziri with 13.04. When I add Harala’s name, which was in record condition during the Halli period, the concoction is delicious.
Hurske reminds that in Jyväskylä there are other tough oppositions. Such are the Liberians who ran 12.81 this season Ebony Morrison and 12.84 genuine Indian Jyothi Yarraji.
– Of course, it’s nice that everyone is healthy again and we get to compete among ourselves. Of course, I bet that the goal of all of us is to compete against ourselves. There are other runners in Europe and the world. It’s not just us Finns, Hurske states.
In the challenger’s position
Neziri, who ran the SE time of 12.81 in the summer of 2016, points out that he comes to tonight’s meeting from a different situation. Neziri was rehabilitating from his August heel surgery during the reign.
During the reign, he ran a smooth 60 meters in a promising 7.44, which was only four hundredths off his record eight years ago. He returned to fence training in March.
– It’s a completely different situation that I’m leaving the challenger position. I take joy out of that situation. I’ll leave there in peace to rise from the background and at some point hopefully get back into the challenging situation.
Neziri ran 13.04 a couple of weeks ago at Harju Stadium in Jyväskylä. According to the athlete, the start there was successful.
– I wish I could get one again. Since then, the run has not really taken off, so I hope that the run would continue from the first point. The middle phase of the run has turned out really well.
Neziri’s strength has been the end of the run.
– The end was not the best, but I believe that the time will be good if I can continue the run from the first fence better.
European Championship medal in sight
Neziri aims for the World Championships in Budapest in August. The score limit is a tough 12.78, but you can also get to the games through the ranking.
However, his brightest goal is set even further, to the European Championships in Rome a year from now.
– If I’m in such condition that the World Cup calls, I’ll go there with great pleasure. If not, I pretty much have my eyes on next season anyway. In exactly one year, we will be at the European Championships in Rome, where I want to be in such condition that I can fight for medals.
– It’s everything, which means that you have to get good performances until the end of this season. Above all, in the fall, you have to be able to start the new training season with a clean slate and be healthy.
Hallikaus’ self-confidence is still in search
After spring, Hurske has a heavy training load behind him. From the beginning of the summer, he focuses purely on competition.
– The pace of competition is quite high now. In between, you don’t have time to do much training, so now we have been training before these games.
Hurske plans to hold a training session at the beginning of July. Just before that, he may compete in the European team championships held in Poland on the Midsummer weekend.
– If Poland is chosen, then we will go there. Otherwise, we train in between. The situation would then be a little different in relation to the training session at the beginning of July.
Has self-confidence reached a new level?
– Not quite to the same level as during the government period, but I believe that with the Games it will start to rise again.