Gina Lückenkemper offered a real final climax and the 10-match match was as if perfectly scripted for the home crowd, says Urheilu’s expert Jaakko Ojaniemi. On Wednesday, she believes that the Finnish women’s streak without a medal will be broken.
Urheilu’s expert Jaakko Ojaniemi’s three picks from the European Athletics Championships. Ojaniemi’s extracts can be read every morning on ‘s website and in the app.
On the second day of the competition at the Olympic Stadium in Munich, there was an amazing atmosphere, which started right from the morning with the 10-meter competition and continued until the very last event, the women’s 100-meter final. If it seemed as if the spectators had already shouted their vocal cords hoarse in the final decision of the 10 matches, they found even more decibels when Gina Lückenkemper became the fastest woman in Europe.
– It was the real climax of the evening. Lückenkemper surprised everyone, Jaakko Ojaniemi told and ignited the atmosphere of the stadium, where the spectators stood and sang for joy.
– It was absolutely freezing! No one really expected the German to be so high in the results and then when Lückenkemper came out of the box and won the gold, the atmosphere was great.
The 25-year-old Lückenkemper already won silver at the European Championships four years ago and was part of the German team that won the 4×100 meter relay bronze at the World Championships.
A perfectly scripted story
What started on Monday continued on Tuesday. The German crowd proved to be match people and the second day of the 10-match series was a perfectly scripted story full of emotion. First the reigning champion Arthur Abele discus due to a false start in the 110 meter hurdles, but the discus was overturned and he got a new attempt right after the discus race.
Then everything culminated in the final event, the 1,500 meters, where the home crowd’s favorite Niklas Kaul ran a record time and became champion.
– The 10-match took the show on the second day as well and it took the most attention. The atmosphere was amazing even after the race, when Abele, who ended his career, was remembered, Ojaniemi said.
Ojaniemi was amazed by Abele’s strong competitive nerves and fitness, as the renewal of the fences was anything but optimal.
– He started exercising again in the middle of the puck competition, Ojaniemi was amazed.
Ojaniemi had been leaning towards Kauli in the betting for victory even before the final event, but still closing the 27-second lead was a top performance. Ojaniemi was particularly warmed up by the tight medal battle.
– It was well scripted, because the championship is often decided before the last race.
Finns’ super day – will the medal account be opened?
Wednesday is the first really big day for the Finnish team, because in the evening four Finnish women will fight for medals in the finals. Wilma Murto and Elina Lampela are involved in the soap opera final as well Silja Kosonen and Krista Tervo in the moukari final. Will Finnish women’s 20-year streak without a medal in prestigious outdoor track competitions be broken and Finland’s medal account open?
– Yes, the medal account will be opened. I consider Wilma to be my biggest hope for a medal and I trust her, Jaakko Ojaniemi said.
Murto has already shown in previous competitions that he is a tough competition competitor, so he bears the pressure of medals. Lampela, on the other hand, can be a good wild card, for whom Ojaniemi is a possible scorer.
– I think 465 or 470 is enough for a medal with a clean game, but it also depends a lot on the conditions.
Kosonen and Tervo made it to the final by beating the bar. Both of them already have experience in the finals this summer, as both of them also reached the finals at the World Championships.
– The Moukarina women were quiet in the qualifiers, but the qualifiers are always quite different from the final. Some underperform, some stretch, Ojaniemi said.
– Hopefully Krista can get the spins going and four spins in her throws, because that’s what it takes if she wants to fight for medals.
In addition to the finals, Finns will be seen in the men’s javelin qualifying, the men’s and women’s 400-meter hurdles heats, the women’s 7-event, the 110-meter hurdles semifinals, and the women’s triple jump qualifying. Ojaniemi is especially looking forward to a place in the finals From Kristiina Mäkelä and From Senni Salmi.
– I don’t think that either of them have difficulties. Kristiina is always strong in the qualifiers, and hopefully Sennikin will now get to the finals to show her skills.
at 10:35 M moukari, qualifying, group A Areena Aaron Kangas, Henri Liipola, Tuomas Seppänen
at 11:30 N 100 m aj, 7-match Saga Vanninen
at 11:50 M moukari, qualifying, group B Areena Aaron Kangas, Henri Liipola, Tuomas Seppänen
at 12.05 M 400 m aj, heats Tuomas Lehtonen
at 12:35 N height, 7-match in Areena Saga Vanninen
at 12:40 p.m. N 400 m aj, heats Kristiina Halonen
at 1:20 p.m. M puck, qualifying, group A
at 1:25 p.m. N triple jump, qualifying at Areena Kristiina Mäkelä, Senni Salminen
at 2:35 p.m. M puck, qualifying, group B
at 20:54 N ball, 7-match Saga Vanninen
at 21:00 N seiväs, final Wilma Murto, Elina Lampela
at 21:15 M triple jump, final
at 21:30 M 110 m aj, semi-finals Santeri Kuusiniemi
at 22:05 N moukari, final Silja Kosonen, Krista Tervo
at 22:10 N 200 m, 7-match Saga Vanninen
at 22:43 M 400 m, final
at 23:02 N 400 m, final
at 23:22 M 110 m aj, final
The European Championship week in Munich can be seen on channels from August 11 to 21. You can find live broadcasts, highlights, the competition schedule, interesting news and topics on ‘s competition page.