Leo-Pekka Tähti has lost his wheelchair 100 meter T54 class ME time, when the Thai Athiwat Paeng-nuea clocked 13.52 in his home country.
Already last summer Athiwat Paeng-nuea21, gave an indication of his fast pace by winning the distance at the World Championships with a time of 13.63, which was close to the ME, which Leo-Pekka Tähti had set in 2012 in his London Paralympic gold medal race.
– This record was not a surprise. Last summer, Paeng-nuea ran into a strong headwind at the World Championships in Paris, so it showed that she is capable of even better, Tähti commented on the news about her winter residence in Spain.
– I paid attention to the Thai’s abilities already three years ago, when he started pushing results under 14 seconds. I don’t know the guy better because of the language barrier.
Tähti himself took silver in last summer’s World Championships with a time of 13.77.
The 40-year-old from Pori has his sights firmly set on next summer’s Paralympics. Because of that, he has also left winter basketball, which he has previously practiced in Spain in a competitive spirit.
– I work every day on my fitness for next summer, which will be my last at the top level. Under 14 seconds is now the norm in the world, so it motivates and you have to be at your best. I’m still aiming for the brightest medal. I believe I can still improve my own times, says the five-time Paralympic gold medalist.
The star’s next race is in Dubai at the beginning of February, where there are two starts of 100, 200 and 400 meters.
– There you can see where we are going, when a Thai should also participate in the games. Hopefully, the anticipated flight strikes will not prevent travel, Tähti says in SUL’s press release.