Topi Raitanen, who ran for gold at the European Championships, and Alisa Vainio and Annemari Kiekara, who participated in the marathon, have talked about corona infection on social media. Vainio also revealed how the EC marathon, which ended in an interruption, progressed.
12:34•Updated 14:34
will show the Lappeenranta GP races on Wednesday. The broadcast on Areena starts at 17:25 and on TV2 at 18:30.
One of the Finnish heroes of the European Athletics Championships that ended on Sunday, with his 3,000-meter steeplechase championship Top Raitanen will not run on Wednesday in the GP races in Lappeenranta.
– For two and a half years, we ran away from all viruses. Now I lost the fight against corona. First of all, apologies to the public of Lappeenranta that I can’t come to run 1,500 meters. It would have been very nice to aim for a hard time and be able to run in front of the home crowd!
– Now let’s go one day at a time and hope for a quick recovery. Thanks to all partners for the past years. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dreams, Raitanen writes.
In Lappeenranta, Raitase would have known a high-level ton vitos competition, when the participants included, among others, the multiple Finnish champion Joonas Rinne and an American Drew Hunter.
In Lappeenranta, several Finnish athletes who participated in the European Championships compete, but no medalists. The competition in Diamond League Lausanne tells the story on their website (you will switch to another service)that on Friday in Switzerland, the EC number one in pole vaulting will compete Wilma Murtotriple jump silver medalist Kristiina Mäkelä and javelin bronze medalist Lassi Etelätalo.
Raitanen, 26, returned Finnish endurance running to the prestigious medals and gold base with his amazing finish at the European Championships in Munich. The winning time was 8:21.80. The trick was successful last time Jukka Keskisalo 16 years ago.
In the race, Raitanen immediately shot to the top of the entire group to keep the initial pace calm enough. At no point in the race did Vauhti run away too fast, so that the competitors would have been bored by the Finn’s hard final push.
– The whole time it seemed that Topi Kiri couldn’t be bored. He himself built the run so that it looked like that, Raitanen’s coach rejoiced after the race Janne Ukonmaanaho.
Raitanen’s celebration in Munich was short, because the final was run on Friday evening and already on Saturday morning the champion traveled to Finland, where a friend’s wedding was waiting.
Alisa Vainio talked about her corona infection and her fierce EC marathon
Those who participated in the marathon at the European Championships Alisa Vainio and Annemari Kiekara have also told about corona infection.
In July, Vainio ran well in the World Championships to 16th place, being the fourth best European. However, Vainio had to stop at around 30 kilometers in the European Championships. In the press release of the Finnish Sports Association, the cause was said to be a bout of nausea.
Vainio did not come to be interviewed by the media after the marathon, but has now opened up about his suspension on Instagram.
– Now that everything is clear and I’m on the mend, I want to share my story. The starting points for the race were okay, and it was great to get to the finish line with other Finns anyway. Somewhere around ten I noticed for the first time that everything is not quite right now. The muscles could no longer take the blow and Vainio’s head was pounding write on Instagram (you will switch to another service).
– Marathon is always a merciless sport, and unexpected difficulties are not always surmountable. I did everything I could to fight the feeling, but it wasn’t enough anymore. After the suspension, I sat on the side of the road for an hour and didn’t know what to do. I felt even worse. Later I got confirmation about the corona. No one wants to stop in these races, but sometimes it’s the only option.
After the EC marathon Annemari Kiekara told Urheilu that Vainio had complained of a sore throat on the morning of the race, and he also had a somewhat similar feeling. Kiekara, 45, fought to finish the marathon in 49th place with a time of 2:48:30.
– A long week from the Munich EC marathon and a little slow walk with our dog friends seems like a tough performance. For a long time we had been able to survive this virus and then it comes at a moment we don’t even admit is possible. All I can say is that this corona is a serious disease.
– Now that you can get out of bed, let’s move forward with positivity and love. Finland’s success at the Games was fantastic and for these medalists, WilmaTop, Kristina, Lassiif to whom, the swamp of the pleasure of success.
Vainio was 26th in the marathon at the 2019 World Championships, but then took a long break from competitions. He returned to the Games last fall. Vainio also took a stand on this issue in his Instagram post.
– I have not competed for a couple of years because of my own decision and this season has brought me a lot of good things and reminded me that I like to compete especially for myself. No work is ever wasted and new opportunities keep coming.
will show the Lappeenranta GP races on Wednesday. The broadcast on Areena starts at 17:25 and on TV2 at 18:30.
Story updated at 13:23: Added information about the participation of Finnish medalists in the Lausanne Diamond League.
Story updated at 1:34 p.m.: Added that Annemari Kiekara also talks about her corona infection.