Finnish sprinter in the finals of the World Championships. Viivi Lehikoinen is an athlete for whom the act in question is not a utopia at the World Championships in Budapest in August.
Last year in Oregon, a time of 54.51 was enough for the women’s 400m hurdles World Cup final. For comparison, Lehikoinen ran an SE time of 54.50 at the European Championships held in Munich later that summer. In the World Cup semi-finals in Oregon, he ran the then Finnish record of 54.60 and was 13th in the overall results.
Lehikoine does not have a real time goal for this season. Last season, he improved his record by 0.92 seconds and broke his previous record no less than eight times.
We are trying to refine the hard basic level even better. Lehikoinen knows the spirit of the game.
– Basically, it is realistic for an athlete to reach medal final level if the basic level is hard enough. I had it at a hard level last year and it was enough for the EC final. The goal for this year is to raise the basic level. That way, on the top day, the result can be final-class, the athlete refers to the World Championships and the Olympics.
However, it must be remembered that Lehikoinen ran in a heat in Oregon, two of which advanced to the finals through time comparison. The latter ran a time of 53.72.
– Of course, what time you get to the final varies. Last year saw that even the lot can affect who gets to the final. But if the basic level is 54.50 and lower parts, it is possible to fight for the final places.
A long break abroad
Lehikoinen returned from his seven-week long camp abroad on Sunday. He camped in South Africa, Spain and Turkey.
Lehikoinen has been a top coach for a couple of years Laurent Meuwlyn in coaching. At the same time, foreign camps have increased.
– I dared to do the same this year, because this worked well last year. Overall, the number of camps will increase this year. The clear difference was that I was at a camp before the hall season in January and a slightly longer camp before Christmas.
Camping requires a lot of financial support. He calls the situation a kind of puzzle.
– Of course, one of the supporters is our own partners, with whom this is possible. The other is, of course, the Sports Federation and the Olympic Committee. Then there will be various support amounts here and there. Yes, it is quite a puzzle for an athlete.
– In our team, the starting point has been that everything is done for the athlete. That’s how we start putting together a budget so that it would be financially possible.
ME woman as a training partner
In addition to good and warm conditions, Lehikoinen gets to train in a real top club. Abroad, the training ring includes, among other things, the superstar of the 400-meter hurdles Femke Bol as well as the reigning European champion of fast fences Pia Skrzyszowska.
The Dutch runner Bol achieved the 49.26 ME of 400 meters indoor tracks in the hall season.
– It’s a unique opportunity to train in such a tough group. It has several World Cup and European Championship medalists. You get to see how they do things. There are really different athletes there, says Lehikoinen.
When talking about international superstars, one might think that they are somehow mythical figures. However, Lehikoinen has noticed in everyday life that Bol and the others are also just people.
– I see their bad days and bad moments. They also don’t go as hard in every training session. It doesn’t bother me either if the training isn’t so hard sometimes, Lehikoinen opens up about his insight.
Hall record despite the challenges
Lehikoinen’s training season also included challenges. He tore his hamstring in the offseason.
– The training season started badly when it had to be rehabilitated. It didn’t start quite as planned. I got over it pretty quickly, but when there was a long break from running training, I had a problem with my back and front legs. I also got sick around Christmas time.
Due to the challenges, Lehikoinen was skeptical about his reign. In the hall, however, he set his 400m record in 52.52, which is about half a second better than his outdoor track record.
He also competed in the EC halls.
– Hallikausi raised my basic level. It was a good training session.
Will the full potential come out?
Lehikoinen has approached this summer with a slightly different formula. Over the past few years, training has focused a lot on the speed side, but now the fence side has been a special theme.
– Fences run much better and easier. Last summer, the full potential was not released because of the authenticity. Now that the fences are moving better in practice, it creates faith that the results could be better in the summer.
– Of course, with real ones, it’s hard to say what the condition will be like in the end. But at least for now it looks good.
Lehikoinen opens his competition summer in a week and a half in Belgium with the 400-meter hurdles. After this, he will compete twice abroad before the Turku Paavo Nurmi Games held at the beginning of June.
– After that, there are the Oslo and Lausanne Diamond Leagues. We’ll see how the first races go and if it’s enough to get there (for the Diamond League). We will probably follow the same pattern as many other athletes this season. July is calmer as far as the Games are concerned.