Oliver Helander would have easily got a place in Monaco’s Diamond League. The MM hope decided to throw on the same day in Mikkeli. Helander stopped the competition in Oulu as a precaution, the ankle is symptom-free again.
The Finnish hope for the World Championships in Budapest by Oliver Helander the health situation scared javelin lovers again on Saturday. Helander had to stop the Oulu GP after three rounds due to ankle problems. Coach Tero in Pitkämäki there was a lot to say about it on Monday.
– Oliver didn’t even have to undergo examinations because of it. The day after the race, there was no swelling, tightness or pain in the ankle. The suspension was just a precaution, Pitkämäki said.
Before the interruption, Helander managed to throw the winning throw of the competition in Oulu with 81.27.
Helander, who is fifth in the world statistics with a result of 87.32, has recently suffered from mild technical problems, which he will work on with Pitkämäki for the next week and a half during the training break. Helander next competes on July 21st, but surprisingly that event is not the Diamond League of Monaco.
Helander’s competition manager Tero Heiska stated on Monday that the Karjalian would have gotten a place in the competition easily if he had been offered to the organizers.
You would need points
However, Helander already had time to commit to throwing on July 21 at the Mikkeli Games, where his opponents include another prize thrower Toni Kuusela. The choice has also aroused wonder in javelin circles, for example because Helander would badly need Diamond League points.
He is currently fifth in the overall javelin competition with five points. The six best athletes in the overall competition in field sports will be invited to the Diamond League finals in mid-September in Eugene, USA.
– I have to take any missing points from the Zurich competition (August 31). Oliver decided to commit to this Mikkeli competition at the beginning of the year, but of course it’s a shame that it overlaps with Monaco. From the point of view of the training break, the solution is good to the extent that there will be more important training time when traveling is eliminated.
Mikkeli Games is a special event, during the construction of which in Pitkämäki, Antti Ruuskasen mixed Juha and Jarno Lindblom’s the management company plays a big role. Lindblom’s team of athletes includes both Helander and Kuusela, who are the main attractions of the event.
– There are old, long-term sponsors in the background. Thanks to them, the event has a nice bonus system, says Pitkämäki.
By winning the Diamond League competition in Monaco, Helander would earn a generous 9,100 euros in prize money. The winner of the overall competition will receive more than 27,000 euros.
– You can’t earn the same from Mikkeli as by winning in Monaco, but the so-called sure money is bigger, Pitkämäki states.