Sara Killinen has improved her hammer record by more than six meters this season. There will still be a tough race for the last place in the Munich European Championships.
70 meters was a place for Finnish women hammer throwers that had not been done for a long time. Mia Strömmer threw an SE score of 69.63 in 2001, which remained strictly unbreakable.
There were entrepreneurs Blue Pöyry, Merja Korpelaa and Inga Linnaa. However, the SE result remained broadly the same and the borderline unbroken.
However, everything changed in June 2019 in Jyväskylä. Krista Tervo broke the SE and 70 meter limit with a score of 70.18. Tervo already has 16 races on the placard, where he has broken the 70-meter limit.
In the spring, he threw the latest SE result of 74.40 in Portugal, which would have been enough for medals at the European Championships in Berlin four years ago. At the beginning of this season, Tervo has gained confidence in fighting for the top spot in the European Championships and for the top spot in the World Championships.
And the sledgehammer of recent years is not limited to Tervo. Born in 2002 Silja Kosonen threw a couple of years ago only at the age of 17 71.34. Kosose currently also holds a world record of 73.43 for the sport under the age of 20.
In two weeks, two more new athletes have joined the 70-meter Finnish club. At the end of May, six years ago, the World Championship bronze medalist in youth Suvi Koskinen your centrifuges in Virrat recorded a record 70.39.
On the night between Thursday and Friday, Finland got its fourth 70-meter shooter in Finnish time, when the 21-year-old Sara Killinen hammered in the U.S. University Championships 71.02. The record was set in the first round.
An evolving competitive environment
The record improvement of Killinen from Lapua has been wild this year. Prior to this year, his record was 64.92.
Killinen has long been considered a hard talent. In 2018, he was second in the European Under-18 Championships.
Just over a year ago, Killinen moved to Blacksburg, a small town in Virginia, USA. He is studying at the University of Virginia Tech, but the main reason for the move was to develop as a hammer thrower.
The NCAA is a traditional university championship event in the United States with both an outdoor track and a hall season. Many U.S. track and field stars in particular have been successful in the NCAA. Among the stars of recent years is the world record woman of at least 400 meters of fences Sydney McLaughlin and through the 110-meter fences, the second in the statistics of all time Grant Holloway.
In recent years, the United States has become one of the best hammer throwers in the world. DeAnna Price won the world championship three years ago in Doha.
The NCAA hammer race also became tough. Canada Camryn Rogers threw a national record of 77.67. He went to number nine in the all-time statistics. Also second thrown the American promise Alyssa Wilson made a record 74.78 ahead of third-placed Kill.
– There are so many racers here that it’s easier when you know there’s nothing to lose. Either everyone wins and everyone remembers it, or they don’t win and life doesn’t change in any way, Killinen told Sport in the spring.
A tough race for the last European Championship place
The result limit for the World Championships is 72.50 and the European Union limit is 71.80. Both Tervo and Kosonen have broken the boundaries of both races.
Koskinen, Killinen and this summer also set a record of 66.99 Kiira Väänänen topping the European Championships through rankings. The last place in the European Championships can be a tough one, as a maximum of three athletes from one country can be selected for the competition.
In May, Killinen reacted moderately to his European Championship opportunities.
– I don’t consider the European Championships impossible. If these races are now going on like this, that’s going so well, then why not. However, I do not take it for granted, Killinen said.