FIN vs. SWE

[LopenUupunut]

The good old dual match is being fought again (though not literally so far), this year at Helsinki. After day one, the wrong country is leading both matches, 103-100 on men's side and 106-98 on women's side. IAAF already has an article on the first day at http://iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=47427.html so as a lazy man I won't go into every detail.

The more internationally interesting first day results were Thörnblad beating Holm, 228 to 226 (the latter already had heavy problems at earlier heights), the victorious return of European Steeplechase Champion Jukka Keskisalo after missing Beijing due to a minor both legs injury, Sweden's young (21yo) Per Rosell taking a surprising second place in men's discus with 59.72 - behind Frantz Kruger but ahead of the other Finns (Mika Loikkanen and Mikko Kyyrö) - and the retirement of ten-time mTJ Finnish Champion and very nearly NR-holder Johan Meriluoto with a 15.51 third place (meaning, as his SB was 15.98, that he failed to break 16 meters this year for the first time since 1992).

I still trust we'll win the men's match, since 400m and steeplechase were both yesterday (meaning no Wissman or Mohamed) but the javelin is today

[LopenUupunut]

As expected, we took home the men's match (215-193) and lost the women's (197.5-209.5). Women's match was actually surprisingly close and only decided by our failure early during the second day in 100m hurdles (a 10-12 loss instead of the hoped-for sweep and 16-6).

Men's javelin was namewise the highlight, but the Finnish team didn't quite perform at its best. Järvenpää and Pitkämäki both threw only three times, the former beating the latter 84.53 to 84.00. Antti Ruuskanen (who will have an ankle surgery next week) was even further from his best and actually lost to Magnus Arvidsson (80.52 to 78.96). For those who like to invent nearly impossible trivia questions, Sweden's Jonas Lohse led after round 1 with 78.14.

In men's long jump, Petteri Lax expectedly took home the win with 7.88 - even though that was practically the only jump into a head-wind. Juho-Matti Pimiä, who jumped a windy 8.00 in last year's edition, showed himself a Swede-beater again, repeatedly surpassing his old PB of 7.69 and eventually taking second place only two centimetres behind Lax. He is a former pole vaulter (and was initially recruited into T&F by the father of '06 EC pole vault 4th placer Matti Mononen) but despite many boyhood successes ultimately failed to get to the highest level in that event.

Overall, I don't think this year's match was quite what could be hoped for. An enthusiastic crowd, yes. Athletes PBing in a tight spot to beat the neighbours, yes. But still something that could have made this special was missing. Perhaps it's a sum of many things. No really tight fight in the last events where every point matters to decide the final outcome. No boxing gloves in men's 1500...

[imaginative]

What struck me the most was that the over-whelming finnish superiority
in the long distance runs, that was the rule when I grew up, has been
turned into a swedish superiority (unfortunately, from my POV,
compensated for by turn-arounds in other events).

[LopenUupunut]

What struck me the most was that the over-whelming finnish superiority in the long distance runs, that was the rule when I grew up, has been turned into a swedish superiority (unfortunately, from my POV, compensated for by turn-arounds in other events).

Ah, the good old times, when merely lapping the whole Swedish trio wasn't considered a success if you couldn't make it completely clear that the neighbors were being humiliated These days we tend to get completely cheesed... with the Swedes clocking about the same times they did thirty years ago :evil:

But as you say, it goes both ways. In the era of Nylander and Wallenlind, we were happy for any points we could get in men's long hurdles - now, team Sverige was reduced to using the decathlete Nicklas Wiberg (though credit where credit's due, Wiberg fought well and with great spirit to pass our young boy Sofronjuk down the final straight)...