Places are still being allocated to the Paralympic athletes at the World Championships in Japan – Leo-Pekka Tähti hopes to meet “Thailand’s top hat” | Sport

Finland will participate with a team of six athletes in the World Para Athletics Championships in Kode, Japan. There are still places available for the Paralympic Games in Paris.

The World Para Athletics Championships will be held in Japan from 17 to 25 May. will show the games from Sunday 19.5. from and follow the games on their website. Shipping information can be found here.

The World Para Athletics Championships started on Friday in Kobe, Japan. Finland is participating in the competition with a team of six athletes. Track rollers are included Leo-Pekka Tähti (T54) , Henry Manni (T34) and Esa-Pekka Mattila (T54) and a ball pusher Teijo Köpikkä (F57), discus thrower Petteri Peitso (F11) and long jumper-sprinter Vilma Berg (T36/38).

From the Finnish team, only Tähti and Kööpikkä have secured their place at the Paris Paralympics, which will be held in August-September. There are still places up for grabs at the World Championships, as the two best in each series claim a direct spot for the Paris Games.

Multiple world champion and Olympic winner Tähti goes to the World Cup with confidence and a relaxed mind, even though this time he is in the role of a challenger. Competing in the T54 class, Tähti only reels 100 meters in Japan.

– The games have been prepared as well as possible. A medal is the minimum goal and at the moment the situation looks good for that. I want to be able to challenge the “Thailand hat” that is Athiwat Paeng-Nuean.

The 21-year-old Paeng-Nuea has made strong results this season. At the end of January, he broke Tähti’s world record in the 100-meter wheelchair curl with 0.11 seconds.

– My hope is that I could meet him and see where my fitness is at the moment.

In Tähti’s opinion, it is not worth drawing conclusions about the balance of power at the World Championships with the Paralympics in mind.

– The Paralympics are their own competition. There’s still so much time for them, so a lot of things can happen here before the end of August. I myself only focus on my own work.

The timing of the World Championships is not a problem for the athletes

Because of the Paralympics, the World Championships will be exceptionally organized already in May. Among other things, for Leo-Pekka Tähte, the World Championships is the season’s first tough competition on outdoor tracks. However, this has not affected Tähti’s preparation.

– It has been known for a long time that the games are in May. It’s certainly a strange starting point, because I haven’t competed in a long time and the first thing to do is the World Championships.

According to Henry Mann, who is aiming for a place in the Paris Games, the timing of the World Championships has not changed the big picture of the season much. Normally, the season has started a couple of weeks later in Switzerland.

– Not all athletes have a strong competition base and there are also many young athletes in the T34 class. On the other hand, there are also Australians competing in our class, for whom the timing of the World Championships is convenient, Manni states.

Esa-Pekka Mattilalla, coached by Leo-Pekka Tähte, believes that most of the top athletes are in Japan. He has set his fitness peak just for the World Championships, because the place for the Paralympics is still running out.

– If I’m fourth or fifth in the finals, it will bring some kind of chance for a wild card. The goal is both a good ranking and a place in the Paralympics.

There are a good three months between the World Championships and the Paralympics. Scheduling top condition for two or two times is not a problem for Mattila.

– Fortunately, Paris does not have a tropical climate, so there is no need to go camping in the middle of summer in warm conditions. In July-August, you can have a reasonable training season in connection with the domestic games.