World champions - Lillak, Kononen, Essayah, Kinnunen, Räty - together in Helsinki (© Hannu Jukola)
Helsinki, FinlandSaturday, 13 August 1983 was the most emotional day of competition at the 1st IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki, Finland, because it brought a home win.
54,700 spectators were “deafening as the spear of the local heroine, women’s World Javelin Throw record holder (74.76m – 13.06.1983) Tiina Lillak, left her hand, then went berserk when it landed at 70.82m.”
The gold medal expectations of the whole of Finnish nation were immense, and tension rose steadily as the crowd followed Lillak’s ‘round by round’ effort to secure the gold from Fatima Whitbread’s huge opening round throw of 69.19m.
The weight of publicity in Finland has meant that except in the immediate moments, hours and days after her gold medal win, Lillak has seldom since spoken to the press about her victory.
A unique gathering of champions
Today though in Helsinki’s Holiday Inn hotel, Lillak, along with another four of Finland’s six World champions, Seppo Räty (JT 1987), Kimmo Kinnunen (JT 1991), Sari Essayah (10km Race Walk), Valentin Kononen (50km Race Walk), gathered to promote the launch of the official 5 euro commemorative coin of 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki, Finland (6 -14 Aug).
“This is a unique occasion,” said Essayah, who is now an IAAF Race Walking Committee Member. “This is the first time we have all come together. Of our country’s winners only Aki (Parviainen – JT 1999) is missing and that’s because he is competing at these Championships. It is a nice feeling and everyone automatically wanted to be involved.”
Given that she won her gold in Helsinki, the focus of attention was of course on Lillak, the inaugural winner of the Javelin title in 1983.
What were her memories?
“I have been asked this question so many times in the last 20 or so years, and so it is bit difficult for me to continually answer the same but it was without any doubt a completely unique experience,” confirmed Lillak who also took the Olympic silver in 1984, and set two World records during her career.
“On that last throw it was simply a matter that I knew I just had to succeed. I had to do it then and there. There was no possibility of failure. There was no way I was not going to win.”
Lillak, like all the other World champions today had their own opinions and in some cases advice for Finland’s main gold medal hope at the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Tero Pitkämäki, who competes in the men’s Javelin Throw, and is the current world season’s leader.
“He (Tero) will have nerves in his stomach of course but I am sure that he can handle the pressure,” said Lillak
The other Javelin champions, Räty and Kinnunen, also believed in Pitkämäki’s competitive abilities.
“There is no doubt that Tero has the famous Finnish ‘Sisu’ (no direct translation but basically - stubbornness, guts, a relentless will to win),” confirmed Kinnunen. “But the pressure will be high. For Tero to achieve a medal at his young age will be a genuine personal success but for the Finnish people as a whole there is only one success, the gold.”
Räty’s words, also reflected the pressure now weighing down on the 22-year-old’s shoulders. “I don’t have any advice for Tero except to say he should try to be himself and then everything will be ok. That is the secret to performing well under pressure,” confirmed the former World record breaker and multiple major championship medallist.
"Seppo, Seppo, Seppo..."
Kononen and Essayah also spoke about the pressures of competing in front of the Helsinki home crowd.
“I wanted so much to win in 1994 (European Champs) but had terrible stomach problems (he was violently sick a number of times during the race) but the loud cheering of the crowd meant I never could contemplate not finishing,” confirmed Kononen, who had bravely staggered home dehydrated in 7th place in 1994.
However, it was Essayah who best summed up the atmosphere of expectation which awaits Pitkämäki next week.
“In 1994 (Essayah won the European 10km Race Walk title) I first knew what it would be like competing in front of my home crowd when the day before my race I went to the stadium and heard 40,000 spectators* in unison shouting “Seppo, Seppo, Seppo…” Seppo Räty won the European Javelin silver in 1994.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
*The capacity of the Olympic stadium had been reduced since 1983, when an extra temporary tribune had been built above the permanent back straight stand. 40,000 was a full house in 1994.