Ella Junnila finally sorted out her rough competition statistics – the Finnish surprise took advantage of a rare seam in a wonderful way

Women’s height final on Sunday from 21:00. Athletics World Championships 19.8.–27.8. Ylen channels. See the schedule and broadcast information of the games at this link.

The following example is very typical in Finnish athletics. There will be a young or slightly more experienced athlete who will make a hard record improvement. The media begins to speculate on his future outlook.

However, next year will be broken for one reason or another. The Finnish sensation is unable to rise to a new level or raise his basic level.

A high jumper Ella Junnila is the opposite of the recent example. A few years ago, he was an international level Finnish athlete whose development and level of results was very consistent from season to season.

Famous Ringa Ropon the daughter first shot properly at the 2018 Joensuu GP, where she improved her record by seven cents to 192. The following summer, she made SE twice (194 and 195) and took the only Finnish medal from the under-23 European Championship with her third place.

The Finnish jumper faced the hardest challenge of his career so far in the indoor season 2021, when he tried for bronze in the European indoor championships with his current SE result of 196.

Junnila showed great composure in the first adult competition final of her career by clearing a height of 194. Without that crossing, she would not have received a medal.

The medals from the youth competition and the EC indoor competition show that he is not really a bad competition jumper. That’s why it’s confusing that before the World Championship qualification in Budapest, Junnila’s balance from the value races on adult outdoor tracks was, to put it bluntly, terrible.

He had failed to qualify twice at both the World Cup and European Championship level. The place in the final competition was also missed at the Tokyo Olympics. The best qualifying result for the Finnish talent was a modest 186 before Friday’s World Cup qualification in Budapest.

Junnila took advantage of a rare seam

Junnila, who has previously achieved steady results outside of prestigious competitions, is a talent who has the capacity to reach medals at the European Championships and the top eight at the World Championships and Olympic level, i.e. the points. After a strong EC indoor season in 2021, the last two years have also been poor in terms of results, in addition to the prestigious competitions.

Junnilaa coached before Group Shield, with whose teachings the Finn became an EC indoor medalist. Many were surprised when Junnila said that she would change Kilve’s teachings Kristiina Mäkelää too to coach Tuomas Sallinen for recipes just one month before the Tokyo Olympics.

One well-known athletics influencer told Urheilu that an athlete usually does not change coaches when he has just achieved the best result of his career. In recent years, Junnila has had injuries that have hindered her progress.

More than four years have already passed since the outdoor track record of 195. Considering the absolute top of the sport, the basic level also needs to improve.

Women’s height has been on the program of the World Championships since the beginning (1983), i.e. 19 times in total. Junnila advanced to the final competition held on Sunday by surpassing the height of 189 with her second.

Only three times before, a score lower than 190 has been enough for the final competition. The last time this happened was in 2001, when crossing a height of 188 was enough for the final.

In the years 2013–2019, the height of 192 had to be cleared for the final, sometimes with different protocols.

So Junnila was really pushed for a place in the finals. On the other hand, Junnila was able to jump at her level in her main competition of the season, as it was her third best result of the season.

Junnila’s place in the height final is rare because the previous Finnish World Cup finalist in this sport had jumped in the final competition of the 2005 Helsinki World Cup Oskari Frösen.

A definite trend

Javelin thrower Oliver Helander too had to pay tuition fees in three value competitions, but now he has cleared the World Cup qualification twice already. Reaching the first place in the finals of outdoor tracks can be a turning point for Junnila, which opens mental locks.

If this has happened, Junnila, who has jumped 192 times this season, can claim points in the World Cup final. The SE woman has a good chance to continue the encouraging trend of recent years in Finnish athletics.

In the years 2007–2013, at the World Cup and Olympic level, in addition to the javelin throwers, only the javelin thrower reached the points Olli-Pekka Karjalainen (2008), 3,000m hurdler Jukka Keskisalo (2009) as well Jarkko Kinnunen In a 50 kilometer walk (2009).

Scoundrel thrower David Soderberg was able to in 2015 and 2016, but otherwise it was quiet for a long time. In the last couple of years, the situation has clearly improved, because the pole vaulter Wilma Murto has been in the top eight in the global games three times and Silja Kosonen two times.

Steeplechase Top Raitanen was eighth in the Tokyo Olympics. On Sunday, Junnila has a place to be the fourth Finnish all-around athlete to reach the points from outside the men’s javelin in the previous three global prestige games.

Women’s height final on Sunday from 21:00.

The entire program of the final day of the World Championships

at 21:00 high jump, women, final Ella Junnila
at 21:15 javelin throw, men, final Oliver Helander
at 21:20 5,000 m, men, final
at 21:45 800 m, women, final
at 22:05 3,000 m ej, women, final
at 22:37 4×400 m, men, final
at 22:50 4×400 m, women, final