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In a nation that loves throwing, it’s fitting that a horde of the world’s best exponents of the craft will take centre stage at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku on Tuesday (13), a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting.
The men’s discus will bring together five men with personal bests beyond 70 metres, led by Sweden’s Olympic champion Daniel Stahl, who has a best of 69.21m this year. He will take on world champion and world leader Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia, who beat him at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat last month, along with Jamaica’s Fedrick Dacres, Austria’s Lukas Weisshaidinger and Sweden’s Simon Petersson, while Lithuania’s Andrius Gudzius should also go close.
The men’s javelin sees a clutch of the world’s best lock horns, and they’re led by Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic, the Olympic silver medallist, whose 88.63m in Doha last month puts him second on the world lists this year. Germany’s Julian Weber is just behind him with the 88.37m he threw in Rehlingen last month, and the European champion will be looking to back up his recent win in Hengelo and edge closer to the 90-metre barrier. Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott, Finland’s Oliver Helander and the in-form Belgian Timothy Herman, who threw a PB of 87.35m in Nairobi last month, are also in the line-up.
The women’s hammer is loaded with quality, and the only place to start is with Polish great Anita Wlodarczyk, who is continuing her comeback after surgery last year. She will be looking for an improvement on her season’s best of 70.67m as she eyes a potential fifth world title at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.
The favourite in Turku, though, is undoubtedly Brooke Andersen, the world champion who threw a world-leading 80.17m in Tucson, USA, last month. However, she will have to be near her best to win given the presence of Canada’s Camryn Rogers, who threw a national record of 78.62m at the Los Angeles Grand Prix last month. USA’s world bronze medallist Janee’ Kassanavoid comes in with a season’s best of 76.60m and should also be in the mix.
Hammer winner Brooke Andersen in Bydgoszcz (© Adam Nurkiewicz)
Elsewhere, all eyes will be on KC Lightfoot in the men’s pole vault to see if he can reproduce his recent North American record of 6.07m on European soil. If he can, he may yet prove a credible challenger to Mondo Duplantis in Budapest this summer. Lining up against him in Turku are Poland’s Piotr Lisek, Menno Vloon of the Netherlands and Australia’s Kurtis Marschall, who’ve all gone above 5.80m this season.
Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers will start as red-hot favourite for the women’s high jump following her victory in Paris last Friday where she cleared 2.00m. None of her rivals in Turku have been near to that this season, though Ukraine’s Iryna Herashchenko and Britain’s Morgan Lake have come closest, both clearing 1.94m in Paris. Also in the field is Ukraine’s Yuliya Levchenko, the 2017 world silver medallist, who has a best of 1.91m this year.
The crowd will have high hopes of Finnish success in the women’s pole vault where Wilma Murto heads the field on personal bests via the 4.85m she jumped last year. She cleared a season’s best of 4.61m last week in Paris. Canada’s Alysha Newman, France’s Margot Chevrier and Australia’s Olivia McTaggart should also feature at the business end.
Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts heads the women’s triple jump field with her season’s best of 14.53m, with compatriot Kimberly Williams, Finnish duo Kristiina Makela and Senni Salminen, and Turkey’s European indoor champion Tugba Danismaz among her rivals.
Triple jump winner Shanieka Ricketts in action at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Gateshead (© Matt Quine)
On the track, the men’s 800m is loaded with quality, boasting two sub-1:43 men and an additional two sub-1:44 men. Kenya’s Ferguson Rotich, the Olympic silver medallist, is quickest on personal bests via the 1:42.54 he ran in 2019, while 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Clayton Murphy of USA will be in opposition, fresh off his victory at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Los Angeles, where he clocked 1:44.75. France’s Benjamin Robert, Sweden’s Andreas Kramer, Ireland’s Mark English and Kenya’s Collins Kipruto are also in the field.
The women’s 800m is headed by Uganda’s Halimah Nakaayi, the 2019 world champion, who comes in with a best of 1:58.81 this year. However, quickest in the field is Australia’s Catriona Bisset, who ran 1:58.32 in Brisbane back in April. Britain’s Jemma Reekie should also go close, coming off a 1:58.94 win in Chorzow.
The men’s 100m features four sub-10 athletes in Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati, USA’s Cravont Charleston, Britain’s Reece Prescod and Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, with Charleston the quickest this year via the 9.91 he ran at the Los Angeles Grand Prix. Australia’s Rohan Browning should also go close.
The women’s 1500m features Kenya’s Edina Jebitok, who recently won the mile in Bydgoszcz in 4:22.85. Like Jebitok, Ireland’s Sarah Healy and Britain’s Ellie Baker have both broken 4:05 for 1500m this year.
The men’s 400m hurdles looks an open race, with France’s Ludy Vaillant and USA’s Khallifah Rosser the quickest this year, both holding season’s bests of 48.60. Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands is also in the field, along with Ireland’s Thomas Barr and Algeria’s Abdelmalik Lahoulou.
The women’s 100m hurdles features a line-up that resembles a European final, headed by Finland’s Reeta Hurske, the European indoor champion who ran a national record of 12.70 last week. Nadine Visser of the Netherlands comes in with a best of 12.71 this year, with Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji and France’s Laeticia Bapte both coming in with season’s bests of 12.78. Many will be watching closely the return of Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska, who will open her outdoor season in Turku having recovered from the injury that occurred during her blazing 7.79 in Torun in February. If Skrzyszowska is back to her best, the European champion will be tough to stop. Ireland’s Sarah Lavin and Denmark’s Mette Graversgaard are also in the field.
The women’s 400m hurdles is headed by Jamaica’s Shiann Salmon, a 54.42 athlete this year, while USA’s Cassandra Tate, Finland’s Viivi Lehikoinen and Britain’s Lina Nielsen have all dipped below 55 seconds this season, with Britain’s Jessie Knight another who could feature.
USA’s Jamal Britt leads the entries for the 110m hurdles, having set his PB of 13.14 last month. Next quickest is his compatriot Eric Edwards Jr, who ran 13.29 earlier this month in Hengelo, while Brazil’s Rafael Henrique Pereira, a 13.34 athlete this year, also shouldn’t be far away.
The men’s steeplechase field is led by Ethiopia’s Abraham Sene and Kenya’s Lawrence Kemboi, with Seme the quicker this year, setting his PB of 8:10.73 during the world record race led home by Lamecha Girma last Friday in Paris. Finland’s Topi Raitanen will be hoping to lower his season’s best of 8:22.00 and perhaps attack his PB of 8:16.57.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics
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