Paris Olympics on channels 26.7.–11.8. Go to the competition website here. You can find the entire program of the games here.
Who squealed?
23 years old Nathalie Blomqvist was Friday’s undisputed Finnish entertainer. The runner who lives in Vaasa convincingly qualified for the 5,000 meter final, which will take place on Monday.
Blomqvist dazzled already in June at the European Championship in Rome with his open-minded and courageous running, which brought him fifth place in the European Championship final and a Finnish record of 14:44.72.
– I always feel at home when I’m on the running track. It’s no different than running in circles, although of course these are the Olympics. I try to be as relaxed as always. It goes a long way, Blomqvist was happy after the race.
The manners of an Olympic debutant do not include bowing to famous competitors. The young woman’s cool-headedness has impressed Urheilu’s expert Toomas Rajaa.
– All the best in the world are here, and Nathalie gave a confident, determined performance. It was absolutely amazing to watch. That’s what the hard work does when the coach works in cooperation Tom Andtbackan with, Raja said.
Blomqvist is the first woman in the history of Finnish athletics in the Olympic final of 5,000 meters.
– Finally, injuries are life left behind. It’s great to see when everything has gone down the drain.
Blomqvist’s last kilometer in the preliminaries was a tough time of 2:49, which speaks not only of the Finn’s extremely developed endurance qualities, but also of his sensitivity to stress.
Blomqvist heard the last ton of his intermission only at ‘s interview booth as a reporter From Laura Arffman.
– Oh, I’m in good shape, Arffman told Blomqvist by the arm in surprise.
The final race can be a cold ride, as the top three of the all-time statistics will be involved, among other things. Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay and Kenya Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet have all run the distance to the surface of the 14-minute phantom line.
Raja sees that Blomqvist, in his current condition, can achieve a result that is unprecedented for Finns.
– I am looking forward to the final competition, if we could see Finnish record readings there again, says Raja.
Frustration
Other than that, Friday progressed from morning to night in Finland with a fairly minor victory in various parts of Paris.
Right in the morning, the judo arena experienced a heavy Finnish disappointment, when Martti Puumalainen the Olympic tournament ended in the opening round. of Azerbaijan Ushangi Kokauri knocked the Finn to the mat with an ippon after less than two minutes.
The Puma native had been considered one of Finland’s hopes for success ever since he won the heavyweight EC gold and the prestigious Masters competition last year.
Puumainen’s spring was difficult, and the difficulties were finally explained by the diagnosis of asthma. However, according to Puumalainen, the lung disease did not affect the course of the match.
– It was the worst day of my life. Really soft. Somehow this year has been really difficult, but I felt that the preparation went well in such a way that it could be turned around in this race. If you could decide, you would go to sleep and wake up next year, Puumalainen said.
In January, the Puumalainen’s Olympic project received the largest support of 20,000 euros from the Ministry of Education and Culture. 13 other Finnish athletes competing in the Paris Olympic Games received a similar athlete grant, including a swimmer Matti Mattsson’s and race walker Aku Partanen the games have already ended in disappointment.
A lot was expected from a skeet shooter who also received a big sports grant Eetu Kallioinen, whose hopes for success were severely dashed. 68/75 discs as a combined result of the first three rounds is not the desired starting point for Saturday’s last two rounds, which decide the final places.
And almost exactly at the same time as Puumalainen was pressed into the tatami, at the Stade de France stadium Ella Junnila dropped the bar for the third time from a height of 188. So Junnila’s Olympic career ended with the high jump qualification and a result of 183.
Just over a month ago, Junnila was in the shape of her life at the Paavo Nurmi Games, when she improved her Finnish record to 197.
Junnila was upset that the run to the bar didn’t go through.
– To be honest, even though this may have gone as badly as in Tokyo to an outsider’s eyes, I feel really calm and good. I tried my best and I was able to enjoy the Olympics without anxiety, pain or tears, so I’m really happy, Junnila stated.
Coach Tuomas Sallinen named Junnila’s long summer of two prestigious competitions as the most significant cause of her difficulties. The sprinter also seemed to be in the best shape for the June games Lotta Kemppinen, who clocked a time of 11.56. Kemppinen ran his record of 11.20 on Midsummer.
The dreary athletics day continued in the evening, when Senni Salminen the triple jump qualification ended with a hamstring injury already in the training jumps. Moments earlier, he had waved and smiled at the camera on the practice field.
Even in golf, flashes of joy turned to sadness when the top round was played Tapio Pulkanen completely melted on the last fairway, where he used no less than nine strokes. He dropped from the top ten in the overall results to a shared 35th place. Sami Välimäki in turn shares 19th place.
What speaks?
Are the Paris Olympics a zero-medal race for Finland? The Olympic kickers are now somewhat halfway, and the opening of the medal account of the Finnish team has not been even close.
The seams of medals seem to be getting thinner day by day, as one medal hope after another has underachieved. Or like Urheilu’s editor Pekka Holopainen in his comment he expresses it, appeared like a deer in the headlights.
If Finland leaves Paris without a medal, the personnel of the Olympic Committee’s elite sports unit should be evaluated very critically, Holopainen writes.
Finland does not have any starting medal favorites in Paris, which means that the country has fallen from the standard of global summer Olympic sports.
What next?
Although the medals have been tight and especially Friday was difficult for the Finns, there is a tantalizing chance for a Finnish medal on Saturday – just like the previous Olympic Games in the boxing ring. If Pihla Kaivo-oja21, will beat Turkey in Saturday night’s quarterfinal Buse Naz Cakirogluhe secures the medal and continues Mira Potkonen on the signposted road. Kaivo-oja enters the ring at 22:04 Finnish time.
On Saturday, someone sailing in the ILCA6 class will also compete Monika Mikkola, whose Olympic regatta continues in Marseille from excellent settings. Mikkola is third in the overall race after three starts.
For a long time, after a 36-year hiatus, Finland is also represented in the dressage team final from 10:55 a.m. compete in the Finnish team Henry Ruoste, Joanna Robinson and Emma Kanerva.