Spear bronze! Oliver Helander’s solution in a difficult situation: “I had to get really angry” | Sport

Javelin thrower Oliver Helander has achieved Finland’s only Finnish medal at the European Championships in Rome. The Finn took the EC bronze with a season’s best of 85.75.

The prize medal is the first of the 27-year-old Helander’s career. The Czech Republic won the gold Jakub Vadlejch (88.65), which rose in the final round of both Helander and Germany, who led the race Julian Weber too (85,94) over.

Helander became the 14th Finnish man of all time to win medals in the javelin at the EC level. He was responsible for the first of them Matti Järvinen exactly 90 years ago.

With Helander coaching Tero in Pitkämäki has the most EC medals among javelin men, three (2006, 2010, 2014).

In a tight spot

Helander was in a particularly tight spot in the EC final. After the first two rounds, he had thrown just 77.65 and was in danger of dropping out of the final three rounds.

However, Helander managed to make the most important throw of his career in the pressure cooker and in the third round, he scored 85.75. This is his best of the season.

– I don’t know if there was pressure in the third. You had to be really angry that you got a spear at someone, Helander told Urheilu.

What made you angry?

– Yes, it was necessary to get angry. The result after two rounds was absolutely miserable.

Helander could not say why the first throws went under the bench. He said the throws were technically really bad.

After the top throw, Helander threw two oversteps and missed one throw.

The sixth time told the truth

Helander has gotten his life back in order this year. In the spring, tasty information about the situation of Finns came out.

In the past, Helander, who struggled with injuries a lot, had the healthiest and best training season of his career in the winter. The number of throws has increased and the reliability of performance has thereby improved.

Helander has had time to experience six qualifiers and three finals before his first medal.

At the World Championship level, Helander has been seventh once (2023) and once eighth (2022). He competed in the EC finals for the first time.

A Turku throw from the champion

Although at first Helander seemed disappointed with his medal, ‘s radio interviewer Nina Vanhatalon at the interview point, he was already in a much better mood about his bronze.

– Yes, this is fine and tastes really good.

– It was good that the first two failed. You really had to throw it with a spear, Helander said.

If Weber had won, Helander would have been saddened by the loss of 20 cents. He was satisfied that Vadlejch passed both jermu in the final round.

– Maybe it was good that I got bronze. Otherwise, the gold would have been pretty close.

Helander will throw next week at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku.

– Then in Vaasa (the Kaleva Games). Then there are a few more races in July. Through the games, we start to improve throwing.

Turku’s Paavo Nurme stadium suits Helander very well. He has thrown there, among other things, his current record of 89.83.

Helander had previously thrown to in Rome that he should imagine that he is throwing in Turku so that the javelin flies. Now he got to hear Turku comments from EC winner Vadlejch.

– Vadlejch told me to think about throwing in Turku. Everyone knows I throw well there. We hope to go a little further next week.

Etelätalo stretched again

Always excellent in value competitions Lassi Etelätalo was sixth after throwing 82.80 with his third. He defended his third place in the previous games.

Etelätalo also stretched in a tight spot, when he was in danger of dropping out of the further rounds. This was by no means the first time that Etelätalo stretched to the best result of the season in the final of the prestigious competition.

Etelätalo had an explanation for why he stretches in hard places.

– Laziness. Then we only try when we have to, he laughed.

– In that situation, you don’t have to think about anything other than what needs to be corrected in the previous throws. Now the speed got better until the end and I got a better throw because of it. There’s nothing surprising about it, then you just have to complete it.

In the qualifiers, it was brilliant Toni Keränen was tenth with a result of 80.76.

With Helander and Etelätalo, Finland achieved one medal and a total of 12 points in these European Championships.