Olli-Pekka Karjalainen returns to Joensuu - Athletics news
Olli-Pekka Karjalainen, the 31-year-old hammer thrower from Finland, after a hiatus of about two months, resumed his game while performing at the annual Elite Games series of the Finnish Federation held in Joensuu. Appearing on the field at Joensuu, he marked
a throw of 76.54m.
Karjalainen, the Toysa born athlete, first gained prominence after bagging the 1998 World Junior Championships. For throwing the hammer as heavy as 7.26kg to a distance of 78.33m, he earned the world junior record which he still holds. Karjalainen’s best
throw stands at 83.30m, which he marked seven years ago in Lahti. In a career which kicked-off in the late nineties, the Finnish thrower could only bag a medal in 2006, where he observed a throw of 80.84m at the 2006 European Championships.
Karjalainen, the veteran thrower, who had been through a back injury lately, displayed tremendous form and fitness at the Joensuu contest. Getting back into his earlier form gradually, his second throw also landed par 76m, nevertheless, hitting the 'A' Entry
Standard, which is a must to achieve for the upcoming IAAF World Championships, which stands at 78m.
As far his motive to strike back well ahead of the global athletics championships was concerned, he achieved that amicably. Commenting on his performance in Joensuu, he said, “So far, so good, but I still have to be very careful. A lot can be done to my
shape before Daegu, and of course I’ll compete there if I’m in the team.”
No matter he hits the 'A' standard or not, for bagging the Finnish title on a staggering 13 occasions and availing chances to represent Finland in almost every major championship, he will certainly be considered as a part of the squad for the Daegu tour.
Besides the hammer throw, another major athletics discipline that was attracting the attention of people was the Men’s 3000m steeplechase competition, where Jukka Keskisalo, the Finnish, appeared to avail a chance to mark an 'A' standard entry for an effort
of 8 minutes and 23.10 seconds. However, he too failed to hit the target and could only end the race in 8 minutes and 30.82 seconds.
The runner who eclipsed Keskisalo was Elijah Chelimo, the Kenyan performer who hit the finishing line in 8 minutes and 22.73 seconds. Second position on the podium was claimed by Nahom Mesfin, the Ethiopian player who stopped the clock in eight minutes and
22.15 seconds. Third position was awarded to Youcef Abdin for finishing the race in eight minutes and 23.16 seconds.
Commenting upon the meet, Keskisalo, who is being considered as the key runner for a number of contests, said, “I’m on the list in the 1500m, 5000m and Steeplechase. I won’t run all of them, but I must think about, which one or which two.”
No matter what distance he chooses to contest in, he will first have to prove his capability to contest at the global level tournament.
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