On the weekend of Saturday and Sunday 4-5 September, Stockholm (SWE) hosted the 2021 edition of the classic Finnkampen athletics match between Sweden and Finland.
Finnkampen debuted in 1925 and over the years has grown into a great battle of prestige between Sweden and Finland. The international match is held every two years in Sweden and every two years in Helsinki and the mood is high when it comes to fighting for every point. Finnkampen is the only living international athletics competition in the world today.
In Finnkampen it is precisely the battle for placings and points that is central and this is what attracts the interest of thousands of athletics fans every year.
It is the tactics and the man versus man, woman versus woman game that is the essential rather than the results.
The points are distributed as follows:
- First = 7 points
- Second = 5 points
- Third = 4 points
- Fourth = 3 points
- Fifth = 2 points
- Sixth = 1 point.
The two walking races took place in the early afternoon of Saturday on the distance of 10.000m track walk for men and 5.000m track walk for women with three athletes per country.
10.000m track walk men
Undisputed victory of Perseus Karlstrom (SWE) who, with this, obtained his ninth consecutive victory at Finnkampen. His mark was 39:32.63
Aleksi Ojala (FIN) withstood a few laps and obtained the second place in 40:59.94, actually touching his personal best of 40:59.49 obtained on 27.6.2020 at the Leppavaaran stadium in Espo (FIN)
Third place to Joni Hava (FIN) in 43:34.38
Fourth place to Sajan Irincheev (FIN) in 44:04.07
Fifth place to Christer Svensson (SWE) in 50:58.44
Remo Karlstrom (SWE): DQ
The men's walk score was: Finland 12 - Sweden 9
5.000m track walk women
In the middle distance, Finland monopolized the women's podium.
Victory for Anniina Kivimaki (FIN) in 22:34.31 personal best (previous of 22:35.19 established in Kauhava, FIN on 11.7.2020)
Second place to Elisa Neuvonen (FIN) in 22:34.45 personal best (previous of 22:58.28 established in Stockholm, SWE on 24.8.2020)
Third place in Heta Veikkola (FIN) in 22:48.91 personal best (previous of 23:41.32 established in Jamsa, FIN on 3.7.2021)
Fourth place to Monica Svensson (SWE) in 24:13.43
Fifth place went to Helena Sandmer (SWE) in 28:36.60
Sixth place to Ellinor Hogrell (SWE) in 30:28.39
The men's walk score was: Finland 16 - Sweden 6