Parviainen sets European U18 javelin best in Jerusalem
Parviainen sets European U18 javelin best in Jerusalem. Topi Parviainen’s javelin throw of 84.52m was the best of the third day of the European Athletics U18 Championships (6).
The 15-year-old nephew of 1999 world champion and Finnish record-holder Aki Parviainen arrived at the championships rated fourth in the European U18 rankings but displayed his uncle’s competitive spirit.
Parviainen was second for the first four rounds behind Hungary’s Mate Horvath, but with his fifth throw, he set a personal best of 75.98m to grab the lead.
In the final round, with all eyes in the Givat Ram Stadium on him, he threw a 700g javelin 84.52m, bettering Niklas Kaul’s 2015 continental mark of 83.94m by 58cm.
Early in the competition, I thought I would not win because of a horrible second throw, but it felt amazing to have everyone roaring, including my opponents. There’s a good vibe,” Parviainen said.
Wednesday’s best performers had talented families.
Kallabis and Topic have some good genes.
With morning temperatures in the upper 20s, the young German teen Jolanda Kallabis won the 2000-meter steeplechase, adding a continental title to her father’s 1998 European 3000-meter steeplechase crown.
Kallabis led from the gun and crossed the finish line about eight seconds ahead of the rest of the pack in 6:20.22, which was only a fraction of a second off the European U18 best.
High jumper Angelina Topic’s dad, Dragutin, won the European title in 1990, making him a contemporary of Kallabis.
This summer, the Serbian prodigy tied the global U18 high of 1.96m, and she won the tournament in Jerusalem with the first-round clearing of 1.92m in front of her father, who doubles as her coach. She then had two very solid efforts at 1.97m.
“Having prepared me for this moment means the world to me. All the other females were incredible athletes and wonderful human beings, so the competition was fierce and exciting. Topic, who played the role of favorite despite some uncomfortable moments throughout the competition that saw her bring the bar down twice at previous heights, remarked that she was delighted that it was finished so she wouldn’t have to stay up at night worrying about it.”
There was one of the deepest competitions ever in this age category, as Germany’s Johanna Goring won silver with a perfect record up to and including 1.88 meters, and Belgium’s Merel Maes won bronze with a jump of 1.86 meters.
Laros completes a difficult double
While Marcel Laros’s resume doesn’t quite stack up to that of Kallabis and Topic, the two-time 3000m steeplechase contender at the World Athletics Championships may be just as proud of his son Niels’s spectacular achievements in Jerusalem.
On Monday, Laros created a new championship record in the 1500-meter run by running his heat in 3:53.68. On Tuesday, he won the 3000-meter run, and on Wednesday night, he completed an almost impossible double by winning the 1500-meter final by shifting through the gears with 250 meters to go.
In light of (Eliud) Kipchoge’s assertion that “no human is limited,” I intend to put up my best effort in fast races this year and see what unfolds. Laros, who achieved a 1500-meter personal best of 3 minutes, 43.49 seconds in Hengelo last month, says, “I have always loved this activity, my parents encouraged me into athletics because I liked running so much.”
Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen of Norway is a fantastic runner in his own right; please keep him in mind.
After a close battle with Laros in the later stages of the 3000m, in which he ultimately settled for silver, he finished second to the Dutchman in the shorter distance, clocking in at 3:52.14, just within the old championship record.
Garcia finds another gear
Three championship records fell on Wednesday: Laros, Kallabis, and Parviainen.
David Garcia of Spain ran a lap and won in 46.67 seconds, making him the world’s fastest U18 runner in the 400 meters this year by an enormous margin of 1.20 seconds.
Italy’s Eduardo Longobardi set a new 200-meter championship record of 21.04 in the semi-finals, but 90 minutes later, France’s Dejan Ottou ran a faster final, setting a new personal best with a time of 21.10 to Longobardi’s 21.22. The two runners’ reactions to the results were polar opposites: Longobardi was ecstatic, while Ottou was devastated.