Nathalie Blomqvist. Eveliina Määttänen. Camilla Richardson. Alisa Vainio. Saara Lappalainen. Ilona Mononen.
There is currently a phenomenon bubbling in Finnish athletics, which many will seriously notice at the European Championships in Rome starting next week. Even without defending his EC victory A top from Raita too Endurance running can be quantitatively spoken of as the higher-class sport group of the European Championships. Especially thanks to women.
Blomqvist, Määttänen, Richardsson and Lappalainen are athletes who have all proven that they are at least top 8 level, i.e. Finns capable of scoring in their sports. Vainio’s potential is strong. 20-year-old Mononen is fast approaching the top of Europe.
What’s even more interesting is that among them Richardsson, Määttänen, Blomqvist and Mononen have changed their main sport in adulthood.
On Thursday, Blomqvist, who found a great momentum, improved the 33-year-old Finnish record for 3,000 meters by no less than ninth seconds at 8:32,23. A week from now, on the opening day of the European Championships in Rome, he will run from good positions in the 5,000 meters.
Camilla Richardson
Richardsson was previously known as a 3,000-meter steeplechase runner who experienced no less than three World Championships in that distance. In Finland’s all-time statistics, he is second (9.35.27). However, the 30-year-old Richardsson has found the marathon as his main sport through the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. In that, she is already an SE woman (2.24.38) and a potential EC medalist.
Eveliina Määttänen
Määttänen was a good national-level 400-meter rower for many years, but never experienced prestigious adult competitions in the sport. Two years ago, at the age of 26, he switched to 800 meters, where he has already reached the World Cup semi-finals and is only 33 hundredths away from the Finnish record (1.59.41). He will fight for a place in the European Championship finals in Rome.
Nathalie Blomqvist
Born in 2001, Blomqvist’s main event has been considered to be 1,500 meters, but the plans have changed based on one 5,000 meter race with a single sprint. He improved his record in April by leaps and bounds (14:59,70) right next to the Finnish record. The view is wild.
Ilona Mononen
Mononen’s main trip may be in the 3,000-meter hurdles instead of 5,000 meters, where the Ahkera athlete from Lahti has immediately broken the EC limit and is chasing a place in the final competition in Rome. He brings a much-needed boost to a Finnish-styled trip.
Failures
About Finnish female endurance runners Nina Holmen celebrated 50 years ago the 30-meter smooth European championship. Finland has had it in the 1990s and 2000s Riina Tolonen, Elina Lindgren’s, Ulla Tuimalan and Oona Kettusen junior champions like
– At the stage where we have moved to the side of adults, we have failed miserably. Now, from a relatively small amount of material, athletes have been made towards the top of Europe, an endurance running expert Janne Ukonmaanaho summarizes the change.
Coached Nathalie Blomqvist and endurance runners for a long time Tom Antbacka does not want to generalize, but says that very young female runners have been made to train too hard too soon.
– Attempts have been made to get the training of an adult woman for the junior athlete. The body of a young female athlete cannot take it. Training must be built up little by little so that the runner stays together.
An important question for a young athlete
According to Ukonmaanaho, the background of the new boom is the right type of personal trainers.
Antbacka reminds you of the previous significant experience of passionate coaches, either as a top athlete or as a coach. Määttä is coached by a Slovenian Jan PetracRichardsson Jukka Keskisalo and Lapland Ari Suhonen.
Athletes can enjoy various expert services. In addition, the runners have become international. Training conditions and tough competitions are sought from abroad.
Although the word motivation sounds self-evident in elite sports, Antbacka emphasizes that everything starts from the fierce inner fire of the athlete.
Antbacka was Blomqvist’s team coach during his high school days. After graduating from high school, the young athlete asked a question that told him he was serious.
– He asked if you can take me to the international summit. My answer was that I don’t, but together we can succeed, says Antbacka.
An athlete aiming for the top has to accept a tough commitment.
– In addition, the trust between the athlete and the coach must be completely problem-free and transparent. The athlete must trust that the coach will do everything for development. The coach must trust that the athlete commits to the agreed work.
Big bang in Rome?
So why is it that so many women at the top of Finnish endurance running have found their best distance in recent years somewhere else? Ukonmaanaho says that it’s not about any kind of systematic guidance, but returns to the right kind of athlete-coach pairs.
– The coaches have discussed together with the athlete what each athlete’s strengths are. They have set out to take the activity in the direction that would most likely be the best journey for that individual. For example, for Blomqvist, who is also developing at 1,500 meters, it is good that 5,000 meters have been included for him. All the while, endurance catches up at a rapid pace.
– Camilla ran hurdles for a long time, but found that it wasn’t quite enough. He has been on longer trips, so he jumped to the marathon through the fifth and tenth, where he found the best distance in terms of characteristics.
Has improved his 5,000 meter record from the beginning of the season by more than 21 seconds with a time of 14:59,70. Annemari Sandellin The 28-year-old record is just over three seconds away.
On Thursday, he improved Oslo in the Diamond League Päivi Tikkanen 33-year-old 3,000-meter Finnish record of nine seconds (8:32,23).
In the past, Blomqvist’s clear main distance has been 1,500 meters. In May, he ran his record 4:04.76 in France. Only the Finns have run better Sara Lappalainen (4.02,35).
Blomqvist himself did not originally plan to run 5,000 meters when he started this summer. In Rome, he has set an ambitious but realistic goal.
– I didn’t think that the race would go so well. It’s nice to go to value races so that you can do well there and not just participate. I bet I can improve on that by ten seconds. It would be cool to finish in the points, says Blomqvist.
The women’s 5,000 meters culminates the evening section of the opening day of the European Championships. Ukonmaanaho considers the 23-year-old runner a real wild card.
Blomqvist’s competitive advantage is his background in 1,500 meters.
– If we go a little deeper, the majority are endurance machines that don’t have as good a 1,500 meter background. From Kirityke, he will fight for entry into the top five.
Blomqvist has a good chance even if the pace is kept high.
– Where is his potential really, because he has only run one race? If it is 14:45, he will immediately be counted as a medal candidate. You have to give the young athlete time, but there is a lot of potential for surprises, Ukonmaanaho points out.