In addition to the Olympic victory, India’s Neeraj Chopra is now the javelin world champion. Oliver Helander, who led the race after the first round, achieved his best rank in the race, being seventh.
Joel Sippola,
Petra Manner
Oliver Helander reached the javelin in the WC final for his career’s best value competition. The Finnish thrower was from India By Neeraj Chopra seventh in the winning race.
Helander improved his ranking from the previous World Championships by a notch. He was also responsible for his all-time best value race result by scoring 83.38 on his first.
The world championship was the first for Olympic champion Chopra. Like Helander, the athlete who belongs to the age group born in 1997 had a winning score of 88.17.
Pakistan won the World Cup silver Arshad Nadeem (87.82) before the Czech Republic Jakub Vadlejcia (86,67).
Helander was responsible for the fourth Finnish score of the Games. Wilma Murto won bronze in the women’s pole vault competition, Silja Kosonen was in the women’s moukari Fifth and Aku Bearden was sixth in the 20 kilometer walk.
– The first one had a good basic reliable throw. After that it was difficult for some reason. It felt like today would have been a chance for anything, Helander lamented to Urheilu.
Trainera Tero Pitkämäki according to the throws, there was the same fault as earlier this season.
– There is no seam to throw further. The last throw was good, but didn’t start in a good position.
This is how the race progressed
Helander, who started the final first, opened his competition with a great throw of 83.38.
The Finn led the way to the second round, but the experienced value thrower Vadlejch grabbed the top spot in the second round with a score of 84.18.
Chopra, the favorite to win, on the other hand, broke the top arc with 88.17. In the same round, Germany Julian Weber knocked Helander out of the medal positions.
Helander threw 81.44 with the other one. He went scoreless in the next three rounds. In the end, he scored another 82.85.
Pakistan’s good value thrower Nadeem, who had already impressed in the qualification, would rush to the third place with a score of 87.82.
In the fifth round, Vadlejch grabbed back the medal position with his throw of 86.67.
The Indian had a strong contribution in the race. So Chopra won, Kishore Jena was Fifth with a record of 84.77 and DP Manu sixth with a result of 83.72.
– India has a really strong stake. The conditions were really equal and the competition was also level, Pitkämäki saw.
At the time of Pitkämäki, the Indians had not yet succeeded. Sure, Chopra had thrown the Youth ME in 2016.
– Chopra rose to the surface. Pretty quickly other Indians were found.
The fourth place of the German Weber meant that Germany, the top country in athletics, was left without a medal for the first time in the history of the World Cup.
Helander’s dream come true
However, one of Helander’s dreams came true in the World Cup final.
– I have always dreamed that I could start as the first thrower in the honors competition.
Why has it been your dream?
– That’s a good place to throw far, Helander answered succinctly.
Helander believes that the World Cup in Budapest was a step forward in his career.
– I would say this, even though the ranking was only seventh. There will be another chance next year.
Pitkämäki remained annoying.
– It was so close. In big competitions, the hope-and-hope tactic rarely succeeds. The level must be sufficient for a medal when we go here, Pitkämäki reminded.
Helander’s season best is 87.32.
Updated 23.14: Added story with Pitkämäki’s comments