Hurdle runner Viivi Lehikoinen advanced to the semifinals at the World Championships in Oregon on Wednesday. Kristiina Halonen, who rose to sixth in Finland’s all-time list, was not satisfied despite her record.
Still at the Tokyo Olympics Viivi Lehikoinen was only two hundredths away from the 400 meter hurdles semi-final place. However, the basic level of the 22-year-old Finnish paddler this summer is so strong that there was no doubt about the place in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
Lehikoinen progressed handsomely to the third place in his heat with a time of 54.95 at the World Championships in Oregon. This is his second best time and already his third under 55 seconds. The young woman’s record is 54.80 run in Stockholm’s Diamond League, which is only 18 hundredths off Tuija Helanderin from the SE time running from Rome in September 1987.
In the overall results of the heats, Lehikoinen was 11th. He has already run under his old record time of 55.42 from last season five times this season.
– It feels great. Now you don’t have to worry about whether you can continue or not. I’m really satisfied, Lehikoinen said in a TV interview.
– It was quite hot and it’s amazing how the legs might feel. It might loosen up a bit. It was a pretty good feeling.
The fact that he even had time to look around at the end shows something about Lehikoinen’s run. Lehikoinen made sure that no one was coming from behind.
– There was no need to pull the tap all the way to the end. There is still energy for tomorrow.
The semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles are scheduled for Thursday at 4:15 Finnish time.
– Weivivi also has a good chance for the semi-finals. That’s the most important thing when you’re in the top three. You don’t have to be on the tracks one or two, the sprint coach of the Finnish team Petteri Jouste said.
Made his debut in the adult competition Kristiina Halonen ran a record 56.68 in the fourth heat of the 400m. Having improved his previous record by eight hundredths, Halonen rises to sixth place in Finland’s all-time statistics.
Despite the record, the 24-year-old Finnish runner did not advance. Halonen was 28th in the final results.
Halonen had a cold a while ago, which is still visible in his running.
However, according to Halonen, the value competition debut did not go under the bench.
– I don’t know exactly what it has been, but there has been some flu and pain during the summer. This was the third. It’s not an explanation for anything. They come to the athlete and changing factors must be managed, Halonen said.
Pre-favorites include the USA Sydney McLaughlin and the Netherlands Femke Bol started strong. McLaughlin raced to the finish line in 53.95. Bol recorded the fastest time of the preliminaries, 53.90.
McLaughlin ran his third ME time of 51.41 at the US championships this season. That time will be in danger at the latest in the final of the 400-meter hurdles, which will be run on Saturday.