Finally a medal? A record machine in artillery condition as the star of the Finnish team – the expert tells what to expect from the World Championships in Athletics

The Belgrade World Championships will be shown on ‘s channels and in Areena from 18 to 20 October. March. The broadcast will start on Friday at 10.25 on TV2 and Areena.

Finland will compete in the World Championships in Athletics in Belgrade with a team of six athletes. The last and only time Finland has received a medal from the World Cup hall 27 years ago was when Mika Halvari was the number one ball.

Will the long pipe finally end? Sports Expert Tuomas Raja evaluates the opportunities of Finnish athletes in these competitions.

Fri 18.3. 13.30 opening rounds, Sat 19.3. at 9.35 p.m.

Sara Kuivisto has been in the top spot for a long time and has run as many as 12 Finnish records in 13 months. Tuomas Rajan In his opinion, the Finnish record machine is a very good attribute for 30-year-old Kuivisto, and there is no need to think about a goal for the World Cup.

– Of course, he has to set the final place as a goal, Raja said.

– How Sara then tactically succeeds on a short track with a long stride is very important.

Kuivisto started SE production during this season as early as February, when he first clocked a record time of 800 meters in Uppsala and improved it in March in Madrid at 2.02.36. He broke a mile SE in February in Lievin and is now recorded at 4.29.64. The 1,500-meter Finnish record 4.06.14 Dry run in Torun in February.

None of the Finnish women have been in the 1,500-meter final of the World Championships before, but Raja thinks this is a completely realistic goal for Sara Kuivisto.

– There is no need to doubt the condition of Sara. He’s in artillery shape.

Fri 18.3. at 11.15 the opening rounds, at 19.10 the semi-finals, at 21.55 the finals

Lotta Kemppisen the hall season has been on the rise, and in early March in Paris, he was already approaching his SE time of 7.16 last year. Kemppinen was only a hundredth left.

According to Tuomas Raja, the 23-year-old Kemppinen is in a good situation, but 60 meters is a very sensitive sport where everything has to go right. However, Kemppinen has proven to be a runner in the major races, as he won silver at the European Championships in Torun last year.

– These were Lota’s first big competitions, but he kept his head cold. He still has a chance to succeed well, Raja said.

During the history, one of the Finns has seen one runner in the 60-meter World Cup final: Sisko Hanhijoki was eighth in the finals in 1991.

The top of the 60-meter world is extremely flat, with Kemppinen currently in 26th place at 7.17. At the forefront of Poland Ewa Swoboda has clocked a time of 6.99 and is split second with a time of 7.04. Due to participation restrictions, the list will be further reduced to the World Cup.

– The margins are small. If there is such a perfect run in the semi-finals, then the final place is a good goal. It would be a giant bang, but not a complete sniff.

Sat 19.3. at 10.50 the opening rounds, at 19.15 the semi-finals, at 22.05 the finals

Reetta Hurskeen the reign has been good. In February, he clocked a new record time of 7.93 in Lodz and sided at the same time in March in Paris. At this time, Hurske is ranked 15th on the world list.

Above all, Tuomas Rajaa is pleased that 26-year-old Hurske got two good runs in the Paris race. In the first round, he ran for 7.98.

– You have to be awake at the competition and Reetta is fine.

Pious and Nooralotta Neziri reached the semifinals of the World Cup four years ago, but both finished seventh in their own semifinals. On the women’s side, no Finns have been seen in the 60-meter hurdles until the final.

The 60 m fences are a very delicate species, as after five Aina there are still four steps to the final smooth. You can’t afford mistakes, but Raja trusts Hurske.

– Reetan’s bravura and advantage is. If he succeeds, he will certainly have a chance until the final.

Su 20.3. at 11.05 the opening rounds, at 18.05 the semi-finals, at 20.30 the final

Ilari Manninen hasn’t been in the headlines, but the 24-year-old quick-aider has been doing well behind the tip for years. During this season, Manninen has improved his record in the 60-meter fence twice already and it is currently recorded at 7.68.

– Ilari has moved forward very well and he has raised the level really wonderfully during this reign, Tuomas Raja said.

With his new record time, Manninen is ranked 53rd in the world rankings, with Grant Holloway, the top runner of the season in the United States, running 7.35. Finland has reached two World Cup finals in this sport when Arto Bryggare was Fifth and in the 1987 World Cup Antti Haapakoski in 1995 the sixth.

However, Raja does not believe that Manninen’s final place is a realistic goal, even though there has been a development and tithing has disappeared in a couple of years.

– Ilari has a suitable goal in the semifinals. If he achieves it, then it can be calculated that he has succeeded very well.

Su 20.3. at 12.00 finals

Kristiina Mäkelä is a veteran of value competitions who has often managed to stretch in just a tight spot. Six years ago in Portland, he finished sixth, and it is the best Finnish achievement in the World Championships.

– Kristiina has carried Finland with her success in the World Cup halls and has also scored four times in the European Championships, Tuomas Raja reminded.

According to Raja, Mäkelä’s secret in the fact that he is often able to stretch in value races is due to successful fitness and economical competition. But Mäkelä in particular can withstand the pressures of value competitions.

– He has been so enormous many times in that situation, in a familiar environment, that the upper floor is not familiar. He is almost invariably able to work out his best of the moment.

Mäkelä has only competed in one race in Kuopio this season. There, the jumper over 14 meters did not yet show the ability to strike, but the result of 13.75, according to Raja, showed signs that the condition could be improved at the right moment for a good shot.

The three-jump race will be held as a direct final race and one woman from Venezuela Yulimar Rojasis still in its own right.

– Kristiina can set herself a goal again. After Rojas, the others are flat. No one has really performed anything miraculous during the reign.

Fri 18.3. at 20.05 finals

Kristian Pulli has been training for the winter in Dubai and Cape Town, but has not yet competed once – at least officially.

– He has competed in one training competition in difficult conditions. There was little feeling and no results at all, but the exercises have gone well, Tuomas Raja knew how to tell.

Last winter, too, Pulli focused more on training, but shook for bronze in the European Championships. Therefore, Raja thinks that Pulli should be kept in mind at the World Championships as well.

– Kristian is definitely the Joker’s card for the team again, Raja said.

No Finns have been seen in the World Cup finals for men and the previous Finnish men’s long jump jumper has been Tommi Evilä in 2010.

According to Raja’s estimate, it is necessary to drop at least eight meters, because this season the top 20 men have violated that limit. Instead, those fighting for a medal must be able to stretch at least 10 to 20 cents further.

Is there an SE result from last year’s 824 jumped Kristian Pull in the European Championships? According to the limit, Pulli has not aimed for this hall season, so his ability to strike is a mystery.

– I don’t know the real condition except Kristian herself. But he wouldn’t be going to the race unless he had a feeling in his throats that the Germans could hit points.