Jukka Keskisalo after his surprise European Steeplechase victory in Gothenburg (© Getty Images)
Jukka Keskisalo, Jussi Utriainen and Annemari Sandell-Hyvärinen took the senior national cross country championships titles quite easily in Vammala, Finland, on Sunday 18 May in cold weather of only +2 to 3 degrees but fortunately no rain.
Keskisalo, the reigning European 3000m Steeplechase Champion, was strongly challenge in the men’s 4km by Matti Räsänen, with whom he has trained for three and half months in South Africa and Portugal last winter and this spring.
Keskisalo, 27, beat Räsänen by only one second, but was never seriously threatened in the home straight.
"I feel that I am in a better spring condition than in 2006 (his European title season) at the same time of the year", said a smiling Keskisalo.
Keskisalo will open his outdoor track season at the IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in Hengelo next Saturday in the 3000m Steeplechase and said he would be satisfied with a time under 8:30.
Last summer Keskisalo could not run any Steeplechase races due to a hamstring injury, which was operated on in September and has not been causing any problems since then.
"From now on it’s very important to make the hardest training sessions. I’ll also compete quite lot at flat distances between 1500m and 3000m," Keskisalo confirmed.
Räsänen, 25, was dominating the junior Finnish scene in the years immediately after Keskisalo became a senior but had some foot injuries, too. This has been Räsänen’s very first winter season of professional training without working in the timber industry.
Jussi Utriainen, the 2007 Nordic XC champion, won the men’s senior 12km and took the 3rd place in the 4km race too.
Utriainen was 13 seconds faster than Kenyan-born Francis Kirwa in the 12km after kicking for home with some 3km to go. Obed Kipkurui, the 2008 Finnish Half Marathon champion placed 3rd 3 seconds behind Kirwa, who will run the Marathon at the Beijing Olympics.
Sandell-Hyvärinen takes her 15th XC title!
Annemari Sandell-Hyvärinen, 31, took her 15th Finnish Cross Country title in the women’s 6km. It was very easily. She gave no chance to Elina Lindgren, who lost by 15 seconds. Jaana Niemelä was the bronze medallist 26 seconds behind Sandell-Hyvärinen.
Sandell-Hyvärinen started to collect XC golds in 1989 at the age of only 13. She five times won in the junior classes and now has her 10th senior women’s title.
"Mostly I am a mother of two children (4 and 1 years) and can train only when I find some time. We have race horses at home, and I must spend lot of time with taking care of them, too,” confirmed Sandell-Hyvärinen.
Sandell-Hyvärinen is of course a natural talent in XC running: the 1995 World Junior and senior European champion, and 1999 Women’s World Short Course bronze medallist. She is also the Finnish record holder on the track in the 5000m (14:56.22) and the 10,000m (31:40.42), both in 1996. "I haven´t been planning anything for the summer season. We’ll see, if I’ll compete on the track," she said.
The Junior championship winners in Vammala were: Men - U23 Tuomas Jokinen, U20 Pekka Toivola and U18 Oskari Pennanen; Women - U23 Saara Pekkarinen, U20 Sandra Eriksson, and U18 Anette Haukilahti.
Finnish summer preview
Meanwhile, the Finnish athletics summer season will get its start at the "Keihään Juhlaa" international Javelin competition in Kuortane on Sunday 25 May.
The reigning World champion from Osaka last year, Tero Pitkämäki, will be challenged by Sweden´s Magnus Arvidsson and almost the whole pack of Finland´s best throwers.
Pitkämäki has been training without problems during the winter and spring time, and so has Tero Järvenpää, who was eighth in Osaka. Järvenpää spent four weeks in San Diego, USA in April/May and came back with a very positive mind.
"Chula Vista training centre next to San Diego was a perfect place to make very good throwing sessions on the grass. I am ready to fight for the place in Finland´s Olympic Team in Beijing, but it won´t be easy," says Järvenpää.
Pitkämäki has already been selected for the team, but it is very possible that at least one of the two remaining men will be named only after the Finnish Championships final in Tampere, Järvenpää´s home town on 27 July.
"That would suit me, as I have good memories from the same kind of qualification situation from the last two years," says Järvenpää smiling.
The Finnish Championships, Kalevan kisat will be held at the renovated Ratina Stadium 24 - 27 July. The Stadium got a Mondo-surface on the track during over the last few weeks. Finland has now four Mondo stadiums: Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Lapinlahti Mondo Arena, Kimpinen in Lappeenranta and Ratina in Tampere.
"It´s very important to have a competition on Mondo before the Beijing Olympic Games. It is so much faster and more flexible than the other surfaces," reckons Järvenpää.
Wirkkala´s breakthrough season to come?
News from the main Finnish national team training camp in Santo Antonio, Portugal, were very good when it comes to the Finnish javelin throwers.
"Perhaps the most promising sign was shown by Teemu Wirkkala (12th in Osaka). I believe that Wirkkala will make his final breakthrough into the world top class, and Anttu Ruuskanen is in a very good form, too," says Mauri Auvinen, the Finnish Federation´s head coach of the throwing events.
Finland did not get any medal at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 - for the first time since 1906 when Finnish athletes´ participation at the Olympics started. Tero Pitkämäki was the only one among the best eight in any event with his eighth place in the Javelin Throw.
Pitkämäki is clearly the highest hope in Beijing, but there will be some other Finns to have medal chances, as well. Former South African Frantz Kruger wants to bring his first international medal to his new home country, Olli-Pekka Karjalainen likes to have his first good Olympic after two bad ones, the European Champion in 2006, Jukka Keskisalo is ready to kick in the 3000m Steeplechase and Janne Holmen is in the best form in his life in the Marathon – a couple of minutes better than in 2002 when he surprisingly won the European title.
The World Long Jump bronze medallist in Helsinki 2005, Tommi Evilä has recovered well from his injuries. Evilä leapt a huge wind aided 8.41m jump in Gothenburg last September, but first he must set at least the B Entry Standard of 8.05m in order to qualify for Beijing.
Besides, there is always room for surprises - for example race walkers Jarkko Kinnunen and Antti Kempas or shot putter Robert Höggblom.
"It is not an ideal situation that the Finnish Olympic Committee will select the team on 21 July, but I am sure that our best athletes will be ready for Beijing then. We will have a long pre-Olympic training camp in Marugame, Japan, en route to Beijing, because the same system worked so well last year before the Osaka World Champs," says Jarmo Mäkelä, the Sports Director of the Finnish Athletics Federation.
Two international competition series
There will be two international competition series in Finland during the summer. The annual Eliittikisat - Elite Games Serie will take place in Lapua on June, Kuortane 8 July, Joensuu 18 July, Lapinlahti 20 July and Lappeenranta on 8 August.
A new series, 4 Athletics GP, will be contested in Tampere 11 June, Turku 2 July, Lahti 9 July, and Helsinki 26 August.
The traditional Finland - Sweden match will be held in Helsinki only a week after the Olympic Games, which is a big challenge in itself for the athletes.
Antti-Pekka Sonninen for the IAAF
