Paavo Nurmi Games 2022 Event by Event Preview
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Men’s javelin and discus throw events will be in the spotlight at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on Tuesday 14 June.
Javelin throw:
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra from India will take on world champion Anderson Peters in world-class competition in the traditional “home” of javelin throw.
Chopra won the gold medal in Tokyo with 87.58m becoming the first Olympic champion from India in athletics. He has not competed since his Olympic triumph in the Japanese capital. Chopra improved his lifetime best of 88.07m in his first competition in 2021 at the Indian Grand Prix in Patiala.
Chopra will take on four throwers, who have thrown beyond the 89 metres barrier this year, including Anderson Peters, who set the world seasonal best of 93.07m in the opening leg of the Wanda Diamond League in Doha last May. The Grenadan thrower is undefeated in all seven of his competitions and threw his javelin to 87.88m in Ostrava, 90.75m in Hengelo and 85.75m in Samorin in the most recent meetings.
The line-up also features Jakub Vadlejch from Czech Republic, Julian Weber from Germany, 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad and Tobago, and Andreas Hoffmann from Germany.
Vadlejch won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo last year and improved his lifetime best to 90.88m in Doha, when he took the lead briefly before Peters responded with his lifetime best with his 93.07m throw. Weber also pushed Peters in Hengelo by taking the lead with 89.54m, but Peters produced another throw over the 90 metres barrier.
Walcott is also in good form and set his seasonal best of 89.07m when he finished third in Hengelo last week.
Hoffmann won the European silver medal in Berlin and the Diamond League final in 2018 with 91.44m. The German thrower set his seasonal best of 87.32m in Eisenstadt on 2 June.
Men’s discus throw:
Olympic champion Daniel Stahl will take on world leader Kristjan Ceh in a star-studded men’s discus throw.
Ceh set the Diamond League record and the world-leading mark of 71.27m in Birmingham and won two more DL meetings in Rabat with 69.68m and in Rome with a meeting record of 70.72m. The 23-year-old Slovenian thrower is undefeated in his nine competitions this year. Stahl leads 13-4 in his head-to-head clashes against Ceh, but the Slovenian athlete won their four most recent contests at the European Throwing Cup, Birmingham, Rabat and Rome.
Stahl set his seasonal best of 69.27 and won in Sollentuna with 68.97m last Sunday.
The line-up also features 2017 world champion Andrius Gudzius, who set his seasonal best of 69.39m this year, and Olympic bronze medallist Lukas Weisshaidinger, who improved his Austrian record to 69.11m in Eisenstadt this year and finished second in the Rome Golden Gala with 68.30m.
Women’s hammer throw:
Olympic bronze medallist Malwina Kopron from Poland, who set her seasonal best of 75.08m this year, will take on Sara Fantini, who recently broke the Italian record with 74.38m in Lucca and 74.86m in the Samorin Continental Tour Silver meeting, European and world under 20 champion Silija Kosonen from Finland, who set the world under 20 record with 73.43m in Vaasa last year, Finnish record holder Krista Tervo, who holds the Finnish record of 74.40m, and Bianca Ghelber, who finished sixth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Women’s 100 metres hurdles:
Jamaican 21-year-old Britany Anderson will be looking to clock another fast time. The 2018 world under 20 silver medallist won in Hengelo in 12.51 and finished second to Jasmine Camacho Quinn in the Rome Diamond League in 12.50. Anderson was level with Camacho Quinn for most of the race, but she hit the final barrier.
Anderson will face Tobi Amusan from Nigeria, who finished fourth in the Olympic final in Tokyo and won the Diamond League final in Zurich setting the African record with 12.42, two-time European 60m Indoor champion Nadine Visser, who won in Turku in 2020 in 12.68, Liz Clay from Australia, who won the national title with 12.72 last April, Reetta Hurske, fourth at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow 2019, Luca Kozak, sixth in the European Indoor Chmpionships in Torun 2021, and Luminosa Bogliolo, who improved the Italian record clocking 12.75 in the Olympic semifinal in Tokyo.
Men’s 800 metres:
Olympic 4x400 silver medallist Tony Van Diepen leads a competitive line-up with his PB of 1:44.31 set in the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Bydgoszcz. The Dutch athlete will face 20-year-old Max Burgin from Great Britain, who finished third in his seasonal best of 1:44.54 in Ostrava, Collins Kipruto from Kenya, who also ran fast in Ostrava with 1:44.58, Andreas Kramer from Sweden, European silver medallist in Berlin 2018, who clocked 1:44.58 in Bydgoszcz, Gabriel Tual from France, who finished seventh in the Olympic final in Tokyo, and Cornelius Tuwei, who clocked a PB of 1:43.76 in Heusden Zolder last year.
Women’s 800 metres:
Italian 800m middle-distance runner Elena Bellò broke the 2 minutes barrier for the first time in her career in the Rome Diamond League meeting with 1:58.97. Bellò will face Tokyo Olympic semifinalist Lore Hoffmann from Switzerlan, who holds a PB of 1:58.50, Noelle Yarigo from Benin, who clocked 1:59.12 at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Katharina Trost, who set her lifetime best of 1:58.68 in Chorzow in 2021.
Women’s high jump:
Australia’s Nicole Olyslagers leads the women’s high jump line-up with her national record of 2.02m set last year when she won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo. Olyslagers will take on Olympic fourth placer Iryna Gerashchenko from Ukraine, Italy’s Elena Vallortigara, sixth in the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, and Morgan Lake, the world under 20 champion in Eugene 2014 and fourth placer at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham 2018.
Men’s 100 metres:
Benjamin Azamati from Ghana will run his first 100m race on the European circuit. Azamati, who set the national 100m record clocking 9.90 at the Texas Relays in Austin last March, will face Raymond Ekevwo, who clocked a PB of 9.96 at the African Games in 2019.
Women’s 100 metres:
Olympic 4x100 relay bronze medallist Darryil Neita from Great Britain will go head-to-head with 2020 British outdoor champion Imani Lansiquot. Neita set her seasonal best of 11.12 in Savona and won in Hengelo in 11.19. She finished eighth in the Olympic final in Tokyo and fourth in the Diamond League in 10.93 in Zurich. Lansiquot won the European gold medal in the 4x100 in Berlin 2018 and the Olympic bronze with the 4x100 relay in Tokyo.
Women’s triple jump:
World silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts will take on Thea Lafond from Dominica, who finished fourth in the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade. Ricketts won the Diamond League meeting in Doha with a wind-assisted 14.82m. Lafond set the third-best performance with 14.53m in Savona and won the first Diamond League competition of her career in Rabat with 14.46m. The line-up also features Neja Filipic, who finished third in Rabat with 14.43m, Italian outdoor and indoor champion Daryia Derkach, and US Tori Franklin, who holds a PB of 14.84m in 2018.
Men’s triple jump:
Brazil’s 2018 World Indoor silver medallist Almir Dos Santos, who holds a seasonal best of 17.04m, will face double Olympic champion Christian Taylor, who is making his comeback from the Achilles tendon injury that sidelined him from the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Max Hess from Germany, European Indoor bronze medallist in Torun 2021, and Tobia Bocchi, last year’s Italian outdoor champion with 17.14m.
Women’s pole vault:
Nina Kennedy will start as the favourite in the women’s pole vault with her PB of 4.82m. The Australian pole vaulter will take on local favorite Wilma Murto, who holds a PB of 4.72m, Ukrainian vaulters Maryna Kylypko, fifth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year, and Yana Hladychuk, fourth at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade 2022, Sweden’s Michaela Meijer, national record holder with 4.83m and Italian indoor and outdoor champion Elisa Molinarolo, who finished eighth at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
Women’s 400 metres hurdles:
Double World University Games Ayomide Folorunso from Italy will face Finland’s Viivi Leihkonen. Folorunso clocked a seasonal best of 54.84 in the Diamond League meeting in Rome. Leihkonen also broke the 55 seconds barrier winning in 54.96 at the Geneva meeting last Saturday.
Men’s 400 metres hurdles:
Rasmus Magi from Estonia starts with the fastest time among the entrants. Magi reached two Olympic finals in Rio 2016 with 48.40 and Tokyo 2021 with his PB of 48.11 and won the European silver medal in Zurich 2014. Magi will face 2019 European Under 23 champion Wilfried Happio from France, and Italy’s Mario Lambrughi, who came close to his PB clocking 49.03 in Savona last May.
Men’s 110 metres hurdles:
Eduardo Rodrigues from Brazil will be chasing his second consecutive 110m hurdles win in the Continental Tour following his victory in Hengelo. Rodrigues will go head-to-head against 2018 world indoor champion Andy Pozzi from Great Britain and Damian Czykier, who improved the Polish record in the indoor 60m hurdles with 7.48 in the World Indoor Tour meeting in Chorzow and in the outdoor 110 metres hurdles with 13.25 at the Polish Championships in Suwalski.
