Bright prospects for Finnish track and field
Some say that the golden age of Finnish athletics has gone and now Finland is only gathering bits and pieces of the former glory. But all this can change with the next generation of Finnish track and field athletes. Sportsmen and sportswomen like Visa Hongisto, Minna Nikkanen and Vanessa Vandy are emerging strongly not only on the Finnish fields but also in international sport circles. All still under 25, they have a notable medal account have set several new Finnish records. Following Vandy and Hongisto's performance at the Beijing Olympic Games the future of Finnish track and field looks promisingly bright.
Finland has a long history in succeeding in track and field athletics, but the glory has slightly dimmed from the heydays of the Flying Finn Paavo Nurmi and fellow runner Lasse Virén. But now a new dawn for Finnish top class athletics is rising. During the last few years a new generation of Finnish track and field athletes have achieved both domestic and international recognition with several international championship titles and even a larger amount of medals in Finnish competitions.
Young track and field athletes compete in three age categories: 16–17-year-olds, 18–19-year-olds and 20–22-year-olds. The age group is defined by the athlete's year of birth and not the date of birth. Thus for example in the Youth European Championships of 2009, athletes born between 1987–1989 are eligible to the youth category of 20 to 22 years.
In the youth-category the most hope is focused towards three promising individuals: sprinter Visa Hongisto and pole vaulters Minna Nikkanen and Vanessa Vandy.
Visa Hongisto: Youth European Champion of 2007
Visa Hongisto, born in 1987, has already acquired a significant experience in his sport of sprint. Hongisto has gone through the whole array of competitions ranging from district meetings to the Olympics. Hongisto won his first Finnish Championship in 2005 with the winning time of 21,21 seconds and today holds a total of five Finnish Champion titles. Hongisto has also gained fame in international fields, his personal best being the title of Youth European Champion in Debrecen in 2007. The victory was significant also for the Finnish sports history as it was the first sprint victory in international competition by a Finnish man. Hongisto holds also the Finnish record in 200 meter sprint in the category of under 23 years.
Hongisto was one of the Finnish representatives in the Beijing Olympics of 2008. Competing in the 200 meter sprint he finished fourth in the first round. Unfortunately Hongisto did not improve his time enough in the second round and was placed sixth, dismissing him from the semi-finals.
Minna Nikkanen: Finnish record broken twice
Pole vaulter Minna Nikkanen, born in 1988, has also gained both domestic and international recognition. Nikkanen won the European Championship for under 19-year-olds in 2007 and established a new Finnish record, raising the bar to 435 cm. In 2009 she broke the record again, succeeding at a height of 445 cm. In 2006 and 2007 Nikkanen won the Finnish Championship.
In 2008 she was also a candidate for the Finnish Olympic team, but lost to Vanessa Vandy in the Finnish Kaleva Championships, thus also losing the Olympic team position. Most recently Nikkanen vaulted to second position in the Youth European Championship arranged in July in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Vanessa Vandy: Multitalented athlete/musician
Born in 1989, Vanessa Vandy is one of Minna Nikkanen's most serious competitors. Vandy has won several gold medals both in Finnish competitions and in the Finnish-Swedish Athletics International. In July 2008 Vandy vaulted 430 cm and gained a position in the Finnish Olympic team in Beijing. Similarly to Hongisto, she unfortunately did not qualify for the finals and had to stay in the audience. In the Kaunas Youth European Championship Vandy came third with a jump of 435 cm, ensuring a strong Finnish presence on the podium.
In addition to her sports career, Vandy is also talented with music. Using the stage name Vivandy, she has already released one album.
Text: Mikko Keltanen, Embassy of Finland
Read more about Finnish track and field on the Finnish Athletics Association's website: http://www.sul.fi/index.php?Lang=ENG