Finland’s Saga Vanninen crowned her glittering and illustrious age-group career in style by retaining her heptathlon title at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Bergen on Sunday (20) evening.
Bergen 2025 is being live streamed on the European Athletics website courtesy of Eurovision Sport.
Long-standing Finnish record smashed
And the reigning champion broke a gamut of records in the process. Her winning score of 6563 points was not just a lifetime best but also broke the championship record of 6396 points which dates back to 2009. She also broke the long-standing Finnish record of 6404 points which was set all the way back at the 1991 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Now coached by 2000 Olympic decathlon champion Erki Nool, this was Vanninen’s third major title of the season after a breakthrough indoor campaign which saw Vanninen land European and world indoor pentathlon titles in the space of a fortnight.
Vanninen set the tone for her campaign by setting a lifetime best of 13.25 in the 100m hurdles, the second fastest time of the morning behind Great Britain’s Abigail Pawlett who clocked 13.06.
But Vanninen assumed the lead after clearing 1.80m in the high jump, a position she would not relinquish for the remainder of the heptathlon. Vanninen concluded her first day with 15.09m in the shot put - the second best mark of the day behind Greece’s shot put specialist Anastasia Ntragkomirova with 15.57 - and then a 24.45 clocking in the 200m.
Vanninen led by a mere three points ahead of Pawlett after day one - 3870 points to 3867 points - but the Finn forged ahead on the second day, recording 6.49m in the long jump and then 43.74m in the javelin to take a 151-point lead into the concluding 800m.
Motivated by the prospect of a big score, Vanninen led every step of the way of the 800m and crossed the finish-line in a lifetime best of 2:11.00 - her second lifetime best of the competition - to take her total in excess of the 6500 points-barrier with 6563 points.
Pawlett also set a lifetime best of 6320 points to win silver while Riedel overhauled Ntragkomirova in the 800m - 2:18.95 to 2:30.76 - to move back into the medal fray, winning bronze with 6183 points.
Ntragkomirova, who also reached the shot put final at these championships, just missed out on a medal in fourth overall but she did come away with a lifetime best of 6054 points.
