Karjalainen beats the rain, improves to 78.00m in Kuortane 12. August 07

Kuortane, Finland - Olli-Pekka Karjalainen produced the best performance at the fifth and final meeting of the Finnish Federation’s annual Eliittikisat-series in Kuortane on Sunday (12).

Karjalainen won the men’s Hammer Throw competition with his season’s best 78.00m, backed up by 77.51 and 77.35 efforts. His performance may be a warning sign to the other top throwers for the Osaka World Championships in two weeks time.

Karjalainen was forced to miss nearly half a year’s throwing training last winter due to back pains, the main reason for his technical problems this summer so far. The sun was shining for Karjalainen in Kuortane, although the weather was very wet.

“Not a bad performance at all! Well, this kind of result could as well have been come out two months ago,” said Karjalainen. Last year Karjalainen set his SB of 80.44 at the European Championships in Gothenburg, which guaranteed him a silver medal. Something similar to that will be needed in Osaka, too.

“I can only wait to see what will happen in Osaka,” he said. “It is very interesting to see how far the others can throw. I just have to make sure that I’ll be in the best possible form there.”

Pitkämäki ‘only’ 82.88 in the rain

Tero Pitkämäki has thrown the javelin over 90 metres twice before in Kuortane, but this time the weather was not on his side. Pitkämäki reached 79.57, a winning 82.88, 82.19 before registering three fouls.

Esko Mikkola did not qualify for the final at the Finnish Championships in Lappeenranta on 4 August, but he reached 80.27 and 80.48 in Kuortane. Antti Ruuskanen, who was selected as a home-reserve for Osaka, placed third with a 78.49 throw.

Shot Putter Mika Vasara will head to Osaka, but his last competition before the World Championships didn’t go very well. He threw 19.78 in the opening round, enough to nab a 50cm win ahead Canada’s Scott Martin.

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