The last time the EC competition day of two athletics medals was experienced was eight years ago. The last time Finland won three European Championship medals was in Gothenburg in 2006. We collected the moods of the Finnish team from Friday evening.
The Friday of the European Championships in Munich will go down in history in Finnish athletics, when Top Raitanen and Kristiina Mäkelä won the EC medals during the same evening. Raitanen’s victory in the 3,000-meter steeplechase put Finnish endurance running back on the European map, and Mäkelä’s silver in the triple jump final was also a new Finnish record.
The last time Finland won two EC medals on the same day was in 2014, when Antti Ruuskanen and Tero Pitkämäki won the EC gold and bronze in the javelin throw..
There have already been three medals in Munich, when Wilma Murto won the European pole vault championship on Wednesday.
Finland’s great success has naturally moved the entire Finnish athletics team in a big way.
We collected the national team’s party moods from Friday night and Saturday night.
Jarkko Finni, director of coaching and training of the Finnish Sports Association
– Of course, the groundwork was done a long time ago, that’s quite clear. But I think that we still got such a kick in the ass from Wilma for the whole team, anything is possible. Finnish athletics can win and succeed. It brings a good atmosphere and a culture of success that comes in a relaxed and liberated way. Today I felt that they came relaxed and liberated. Then the result usually comes.
Harri Aalto, CEO of the Finnish Sports Association
– At the moment, the award is indescribable. You can feel it also from the point of view of Finnish people. I saw Topi Raitanen’s father (Anssi Raitanen) just when we walked in here. We both almost had tears in our eyes. A lot of things are unraveling right now. The years 2018 and 2019 have been difficult for us. 2020 already started to look pretty good many times and 2021 was good, even though Korona was raging. This is what we have been waiting for and now we have it.
European champion Wilma Murto
– Someone said that there is a domino effect. When one starts, the others follow and now it seemed to work quite well. I have had the feeling that Topi has been in a pretty good mood here for the last couple of days. It was good faith that Topi is fine.
Senni Salminen, who finished seventh in the EC final
– What annoys me the most is that Kristiina took the Finnish record from me by a centimeter, I would have jumped a little further now! It’s really great to see someone so happy. How long has she been trying to get a prize medal and now she got it, so I’m really happy for Kristiina and I told her just now to try and enjoy it.
Tuomo Salonen, team manager of the Finnish national athletics team
– This is an Individual sport and we have many different backgrounds behind it. Wilma Gold Medal and Jarno Koivunen long work done with. We have seen that Topi’s gold is also coming. Topi is an absolute European elite. He himself built the run and is Janne Ukonmaanahon and thought through every detail as well as possible. Kristiina Mäkelä’s last years Tuomas Sallinen with have been really great work.
– When there are successes, it catches on and everything good starts to spread. Somehow this week, what has been here has made me think that sport is such a great thing for a person. It takes us to some other space. In the midst of all this going on in the world, this all does an awful lot of good. At the same time, of course, we have to remember that there are people in our team who haven’t succeeded in the same way, but then it doesn’t take away from the joy that this day has brought.