Ari Mannio

Turku, Finland - Ari Mannio’s season best 85.10m effort in the Men’s Javelin Throw final was the brightest highlight at the Finnish Championships which concluded in Turku on Sunday (7).

Mannio set his winning mark in the fifth round on Sunday and secured his place on the Finnish Team for the IAAF Championships in Daegu which begin on 27 August.

Tero Järvenpää finished second with 80.10m while Antti Ruuskanen, who had set 82.21m in the qualification on Saturday, took the third with a 79.51m best, also in the fifth round.

"Finally it looks like I've found my technique," Mannio said. "Today I had good speed and released the spear in a good position. Of course I’ll fly to Daegu in order to succeed, not just to take part."

So far Mannio hasn’t been selected to any senior major championships, but his merits as a junior are fine. In 2009 he won the European U23 title in Kaunas.

The former World champion Tero Pitkämäki did not throw in Turku due to medical reasons. He is expected to compete at the fifth of five Finnish Elite Games meetings in Lappeenranta on Saturday 13 August and decide after that if he’s able to throw in Daegu.

The entire Finnish Team will be announced in Lappeenranta, but it’s already clear that it will be smaller that ever before, with a maximum 15 athletes, three of them women.

source: iaaf.org