Eveliina Määttänen ran 0.40 seconds away from the Finnish record in the 800 meter semi-finals. The coach believes that Määttänen will run SE very soon.
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Eveliina Määttänen is one of the most successful Finns at the World Cup. The 27-year-old Määttänen, who has invested in the 800-meter run for only two years, ran to the semifinals in his second world championships.
In the semifinals on Friday, he set a new record of 1:59.81 in the first heat. The Finnish runner, born in 1995, improved Paavo Nurme’s record at the Games by 15 hundredths. Määttänen was handsomely 11th in the overall results.
In all, he has broken the two-minute mark three times. The SE woman of the trip Sara Lappalainen has only been able to do that once.
In the semifinals of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Lappalainen ran a time of 1:59.41.
The second set was calmer than Määttänen’s set, as it was continued directly with times of 2:00.28 and 2:00.47.
Määttänen was still well in the pictures at the end, in fourth place, while the two best went on from the heat. He was fifth in the batch. Through the time comparison, 1:58.99 was enough for the final race.
During the last 100 meters, however, Määttänen’s pace slowed down – still in record time.
– The minimum goal for the day was broken today, Määttänen referred to the record.
“Excellent work”
Määttänen started the race well, running correctly on the inner track.
– I got a good place. There was plenty of space on the indoor track. Considering Finland’s record run, it was a bit slow-paced, however.
Määttanen’s coach Jan Petrac was satisfied with his protégé’s performance in the semi-finals.
The first 200 meters of the race was still tough, but the pace slowed down a lot towards the end of the first lap.
– I’m a little upset that they slowed down too much around 200-500 meters. The timing could have been much better. However, he did an excellent job, Petrac said.
“Unbelievable experience”
Määttänen was the first Finnish woman to run at the World Championship level in the 800 meter semi-finals.
– This has been an incredible experience. I was able to enjoy the preparation for the semifinals more than the heats. The semi-final is the result of very hard work.
Considering Finland’s record, finding a tough 800-meter race at the end of the season can be challenging.
– I hope that it (SE) will be born already this year, because he is really capable of it, Petrac believes.
Määttänen’s main sport used to be the 400-meter hurdles, where his record is 58.07. Määttänen also achieved one Finnish championship in the sport.
In the last two years, however, the 27-year-old runner has focused on 800 meters, where the record development has been staggering. In a year and a half, he has improved his time by more than ten seconds.