Turku
Pole vaulter Wilma Murto is perhaps in the best winter condition of his career at the moment.
In his Valentine's Day title competition at the Turku Ice Hall, Murto cleared 474 cents and raised the bar to the highest Finnish record and this season's world top score of 486.
The companies did not produce a result yet this time. The last, or third, attempt was close to succeeding, when Murto got well over the bar.
“I knew it wouldn't go over. The effort went too far. I know that Wilma is not satisfied with the result”, coach Jarno Koivunen stomped.
Murto agreed with his coach's view. Expectations were higher.
“474 leaves a bit of a dent in the tooth. It is only a positive thing to expect more. In such competitions, we talk about an adrenaline boost. There was a little dispersion in the jumps,” Murto said.
The victory of the competition was already decided in the lower altitudes, when the others dropped out of the game.
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“Yes, it's exciting to see how long it takes”
Under Koivunen's coaching, Murro's jumping technique and speed have further developed. This way he is able to use even stiffer wings. In Wednesday's invitational competition, he still used the old wings.
January at the beginning, Murto jumped 481 on Kuortane, which is his hall record. On outdoor tracks, Murro's best is 485, with which he won EC gold in 2022.
Officially, indoor and outdoor track results are no longer separated in field sports, but in Finland they are still counted separately.
According to Murro, the dream of five meters has become more and more realistic.
“It's less of a joke all the time. If you exceed 490, you might try five meters next. It is an opportunity to be taken seriously,” Murto said.
Wilma Murto was not quite satisfied with her result of 474.
According to coach Koivunen, it may be a matter of time, because Murto will exceed 490.
“Yes, it's exciting to see how long it takes,” Koivunen said.
Murro's indoor season continues this weekend in the SM halls in Tampere. After that, he will compete in France before the World Championships in Glasgow.
“I try to keep in mind that the hall season is preparation for the summer. Self-worth must be reflected in big goals. There are blanks to jump from high. You don't have to lose to anyone, no matter what the race is.”
A year ago, he won indoor EC gold with a score of 480.
Murto said he was already looking forward to the summer's two prestigious competitions – the European Championships and the Olympic Games.
“The Olympic Games in Paris is a big goal for the whole career. I've been aware of it since I was 15 years old. However, you don't know if I'll be at my best in my thirties at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles or now.”
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“This was a great thing for me personally. The number of viewers is a cool figure.”
In a fast-paced one in the pole vault, the wheat was quickly separated from the chaff. After an hour, only three jumpers continued the race: Murro and Canada Alysha Newman and Greece Eleni-Klaoudia Polak.
Among them, Newman, who jumped 482, was Murro's strongest challenger in advance, but in Turku, the six-time Canadian champion was 450 centimeters short. The same happened to Polak, whose record is 471 centimeter.
On paper, Newman and Polak should have been suitable opponents for Murro.
“Can't be satisfied, tension. The power went out in the legs,” Newman said.
Nine The budget of the seiväsnai invitation competition was 30,000 euros. It was a small investment from Paavo Nurmi Games, which organized the event, which spends the same amount on one sport in its international athletics competitions in Turku in the summer.
On Wednesday, the prize money was 4,000 euros, of which the winner received 1,500 euros.
In addition, exceeding the summer European championship limit of 450 cents brought a bonus of 500 euros. Crossing the limit of 473 at the Paris Olympics brought one thousand euros. Murto easily fixed both bonuses in his placard.
The fencing event was watched by four thousand spectators. It showed how attractive an athlete Murto is now. In the previous TPS hockey league match against Jukurei last week, there were 4,500 spectators.
“Thanks to the audience, it brought a lot of extra boost,” Murto said and hoped that the Turku invitation race would become a tradition.
“This was a great thing for me personally. The number of viewers is a cool figure.”
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Wilma Murro's technique and speed have continued to develop.
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