Camryn Rogers Smashes Meeting Record at Paavo Nurmi Games as Karalis, Jackson and Attaoui Impress
Olympic and world champion Camryn Rogers headlined a night of world-class performances at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku on Tuesday, producing a meeting record of 80.09m in the women's hammer throw. The World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting also featured meeting records from Emmanouil Karalis, Chase Jackson, Imogen Ayris and Alemnat Wale, while Mohamed Attaoui, Florian Bremm, Romell Glave and Gabriela DeBues-Stafford were among the standout track winners in front of an enthusiastic Finnish crowd.
Men's Hammer Throw
Rogers delivered an outstanding series that included marks of 73.43m, 77.87m, 76.76m, 76.35m and 75.64m. Finland's Silja Kosonen finished second with a seasonal best of 76.41m ahead of compatriot Krista Tervo (75.55m). European champion Sara Fantini of Italy placed fourth with 74.01m, her best performance since 2024.
Camryn Rogers: “The Paavo Nurmi Games are one of my favourite meetings. The stadium is always full, the spectators are fantastic and people have a real passion for athletics. Throwing 80 metres again shows me and my coach that we are headed in the right direction. I'm grateful for the growth and development I've experienced over the last few years, from the Olympic Games in 2021 to the World Championships last year.”
Men's Pole Vault
World indoor and outdoor silver medallist Emmanouil Karalis of Greece won the men's pole vault, clearing 6.00m for the second time in a week after producing the same result at the Limassol meeting.
Karalis enjoyed a flawless competition, clearing 5.60m, 5.82m and 6.00m on his first attempts to improve KC Lightfoot's meeting record. He then made three unsuccessful attempts at 6.10m. Lightfoot finished second with 5.72m, while Simen Guttormsen placed third on countback with 5.60m ahead of Finland's Juho Alasaari and two-time world champion Sam Kendricks.
Emmanouil Karalis: “It was a good day today. I really enjoyed myself. It's my first time in Turku and I hope the crowd loved it. I loved it for sure. I am hoping to jump even higher here next year. It is still early in the season and I am not fully satisfied with my technique, but jumping over 6 metres is always a step in the right direction. The season is going to be a long one with the Ultimate Championships in September.”
Men's Discus Throw
Reigning European champion Kristjan Ceh won the men's discus throw with a mark of 69.13m in the fifth round.
Ceh backed up his winning throw with marks of 67.96m, 68.67m, 67.79m and 65.30m. Three-time world champion Daniel Stahl of Sweden finished second with 67.40m, recorded in the second round, ahead of Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Denny (67.26m), Lawrence Okoye (67.15m) and Olympic champion Roje Stona of Jamaica (66.15m).
Kristjan Ceh: “I really enjoyed the enthusiastic crowd and my return to this venue. My next competition will be the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm. I am aiming to defend my European title in Birmingham.”
Women's Shot Put
Two-time world champion Chase Jackson set a meeting record of 20.66m to win the women's shot put ahead of reigning world champion Jessica Schilder, who threw 20.18m.
Chase Jackson: “I was really excited when I found out the women's shot put was back in the programme. It has been so long. The last time I was here I cracked my ankle, but I still won. I am happy with the numbers today. My series were really nice. Still, I wanted to give the stadium a big throw. It felt close, but I might not have given myself the opportunity.
“I will compete in Stockholm and Oslo, then at the Los Angeles Grand Prix before heading home. It is kind of nice not to have a major international championship this season and just focus on results. I really want to break my American record and keep throwing farther. I know I am capable of big improvements. It is frustrating to throw 21 metres in practice and not reproduce it in competition, but I know I can do it.”
Women's Pole Vault
New Zealand's Imogen Ayris improved her personal best and the meeting record to 4.81m to win the women's pole vault.
Gabriela Leon of the United States finished second with 4.56m, while Finland's Saga Andersson and Wilma Murto shared third place on countback.
Imogen Ayris: “This feels amazing. I jumped only a couple of days ago in Rabat, so it was a pretty quick turnaround. I had tired legs and was feeling tired overall. We had to go to Plan B today and I certainly wasn't expecting a personal best, especially based on how the warm-up went.
“I had been chasing 4.80m for a couple of meets and came very close. To finally clear it here with this amazing crowd feels really special. I will compete next in Ostrava and then at the Commonwealth Games in July. It would be amazing to qualify for the World Athletics Ultimate Championships.
“I wasn't expecting to jump 4.80m this early in the season, so I will just keep building and see where it takes me. New Zealand has a fantastic pole vault tradition. That doesn't create pressure for me; it motivates me to work even harder. Having several athletes consistently making global finals pushes all of us to improve.”
Women's High Jump
World indoor silver medallist Yulia Levchenko cleared 1.97m on her third attempt to win the women's high jump.
Levchenko then made two unsuccessful attempts at 2.00m before raising the bar to 2.03m, where she narrowly missed. Jamaican record-holder Lamara Distin cleared every height up to 1.94m before failing three times at 1.97m to finish second.
Yulia Levchenko: “This was an interesting competition. The girls jumped well and pushed me to jump higher. At 2.00m I didn't feel any pressure, which is why I raised the bar to 2.03m. I wanted to challenge myself.
“I am still very satisfied with 1.97m. My attempt at 2.03m was actually the best jump of the day. Now I need to recover and become stronger for the next competitions. The season has only just started and it is going to be a long one. My main target is the European Championships.”
Men's 1500 Metres
Spanish 800m record-holder Mohamed Attaoui stepped up in distance to win the men's 1500 metres in a personal best of 3:31.82.
Belgian record-holder Ruben Verheyden finished second in 3:32.71, while American Sam Prakel also set a personal best of 3:32.76 for third place. Norway's Hakon Moe Berg finished fourth in 3:33.92.
Mohamed Attaoui: “This race felt amazing. It is always difficult to predict what you can do in your first race of the season, but I knew I had trained well. You still have to deliver on race day and today everything came together.
“The atmosphere was fantastic, the track was excellent, the field was strong and the pacing was perfect. Everything worked out exactly as we planned with my coaches. Running a personal best at a meeting like this is special. I am excited about what is coming next.
“I will take things step by step. I want to improve my PB again, but my main focus remains the 800 metres. I plan to race the 800m in Stockholm next.”
Men's 5000 Metres
Germany's Florian Bremm won a high-quality men's 5000 metres race in a personal best of 12:56.80.
Frederick Ruppert completed a German one-two by finishing second in a lifetime best of 12:57.61, just three days after setting the European record in the 3000m steeplechase at the Diamond League meeting in Rabat. Burundi's Egide Ntakaturimana also broke the 13-minute barrier, clocking 12:59.45 for third place.
Florian Bremm: “I knew the training over the last few weeks had gone really well. Everybody kept telling me how fit and fast I was. I believed them, but I also knew I had to prove it in competition.
“The conditions were perfect today. They couldn't have been any better. The pacing was excellent, I was able to stay tucked in behind the other runners and save energy before pushing at the end. Running shoulder to shoulder with others gave me a huge boost and helped me break 13 minutes.
“This was my first race of the season and now I want to run even faster. My goal is to finish in the top five at the European Championships. Distance running is really growing in Germany right now. It's incredible to see Frederik break the European record.”
Women's 100 Metres Hurdles
American Rayniah Jones won the women's 100 metres hurdles in a seasonal best of 12.60.
Finland's Saara Keskitalo finished second in 12.81, while Hungarian record-holder Luca Kozak placed third in 12.83.
Rayniah Jones: “I was pretty disappointed when I ran 12.80 in the heats because I am aiming for 12.40 this season. This is a step closer and I am happy about that.
“My coach wanted me to be aggressive when I heard the gun, so that was my main focus. Today was one of those races where things came together, even if the result wasn't exactly what I wanted.
“I felt good over the hurdles, but I still need to improve my finish. Sometimes I gain so much speed that I struggle to control it. That will come with time. Right now, I just want to stay healthy and not rush anything.”
Women's Long Jump
World indoor silver medallist Monae Nichols of the United States leapt 6.88m in the fifth round to win the women's long jump.
European indoor champion Jazmin Sawyers finished second with 6.62m, narrowly edging Jamaica's Nia Robinson (6.61m) and 2025 World Indoor champion Claire Bryant (6.60m) in a closely contested competition.
Monae Nichols: “This is a big accomplishment for me because I haven't always been consistent at these kinds of distances, especially around 6.80m.
“I am really grateful and happy to finally have my full focus on the long jump and to be jumping far. I don't pay much attention to the world rankings. I just want to win consistently. Whether it's with 6.40m or 7.00m, a win is a win.
“My ultimate goal is to jump a legal seven metres. I want to be as consistent as possible this season, win as many competitions as I can, and qualify for the Ultimate Championships.
“I was supposed to run a 100 metres race in Texas, but it was cold and raining, and I didn't want to risk an injury. I had talked about running 10.90, but skipping the race turned out to be the smart decision.”
Men's 400 Metres Hurdles
Slovenia's Ian Matek Gucek won the men's 400 metres hurdles in 48.47, holding off Alastair Chalmers, who clocked 48.53.
Chalmers suffered his first defeat of the season after victories in Savona and Bydgoszcz. Botswana's Kemorena Tisang finished third in a seasonal best of 48.66.
Men's 100 Metres
European bronze medallist Romell Glave of Great Britain won the men's 100 metres in 10.16 into a headwind of -0.7 m/s.
South Africa's Abdurahman Karriem finished second in 10.22, while Taymir Burnet of the Netherlands took third in 10.26, edging world U20 champion Bayanda Walaza on the line as both athletes were credited with the same time.
Romell Glave: “It feels great to win back-to-back races here in Turku. I try to be consistent on the circuit and I was able to do that again today.
“My start wasn't quite where I wanted it to be, but I managed to get into my race, focus on my execution and secure the victory. I was having some issues with those particular starting blocks, so that's something I need to work on.
“In Savona I ran a wind-assisted 9.88, which was a very well-executed race. I wish I could have reproduced that performance today. Compared to last year, I am focusing more on myself and paying less attention to external factors. I am no longer giving too much respect to the field around me.”
Women's 100 Metres
Minke Bisschops of the Netherlands won the women's 100 metres in 11.25.
Hungarian record-holder Boglarka Takacs finished second in 11.33, while Australia's world U20 200 metres champion Torrie Lewis placed third in 11.34.
Women's 1500 Metres
Canada's Gabriela DeBues-Stafford won the women's 1500 metres in 4:04.40.
Switzerland's Joceline Wind finished second in 4:05.47, while Germany's Majtie Kolberg improved her personal best to 4:05.76 to place third.
Gabriela DeBues-Stafford: “I had a couple of plans for today's race. I am returning to the track after an injury and opened my season later than usual.
“I had a stress reaction in my shin. It's not the worst injury you can have, but it's certainly not ideal either. I took some time away from competition, but I have been training well for a while now and I am finally starting to feel more like myself again.”
Women's 3000 Metres Steeplechase
Ethiopia's Alemnat Wale won a thrilling women's 3000 metres steeplechase in a meeting record of 9:16.18.
American Gracie Hyde finished second in a personal best of 9:16.61, while Finland's Ilona Mononen delighted the home crowd by improving her lifetime best to 9:18.50 to finish third.
