2024 will not go down in history as one of the best seasons in Daniel Ståhl's successful discus career.
But better late than never.
In the Finnkampen in Helsinki, Ståhl threw the discus farther than he had done all year. 69.03 was four centimeters longer than his previous year's best from the season debut on Tenerife in May.
It was right on from Rome (Friday's Diamond League gala) and just had to thunder on. Then it became a year's best, so I'm extremely pleased with that, says Ståhl to SVT.
Medal misses
In early June, Ståhl missed out on a medal at the European Championship and then followed a couple of months where the Stockholm native vainly tried to find form ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris. There, it was a new medal miss for the reigning Olympic champion.
I've been trying to find a good timing in technique all summer and haven't quite found it, says Ståhl.
Now the technique was "decent" and the pressure "good", according to Ståhl. As usual, he enjoyed competing in front of the Finnish athletics crowd.
I'm Swedish, of course, and will always be Swedish and am proud to be Swedish, and so on. But I also have Finland with me and am incredibly proud to be half-Finnish, says Ståhl to SVT.
Daniel Ståhl was, as expected, totally superior in the discus event, where Sweden took a much-needed triple victory for 16–6 in the event.
It gave hope to the Swedes, who in the "paper match" – which is based on the competitors' year's best ahead of the Finnkampen – were expected to lose on both the men's and women's sides.
1,500 meters decided
But it was Finland that sat in the driver's seat and led by three points when the men's Finnkamp was to be decided with the final 1,500 meters.
It wasn't enough all the way for Sweden. Samuel Pihlström did indeed sprint past Joonas Rinne for the event victory, but Jonatan Gustafsson and Arvid Öhrn failed to take the necessary points behind.
In the women's fight, Finland had an eleven-point lead ahead of the 1,500 meters, which thus became an undramatic conclusion to the Finnkampen. Sweden managed to reduce the deficit to five points, which meant the first loss on the women's side since 2015.
The Swedish men, who lacked both Armand Duplantis and Andreas Kramer in the squad, had not lost since 2018.
Last time Finland managed to win both Finnkamper was 1998.
