Hammer Throw W / Camryn Rogers (CAN) – 1st 80.09 MR
“This has been an amazing year so far. It’s just my fourth competition and already I have achieved a lot. Paavo Nurmi Games is one of my favourite meetings, I just love coming here. The stadium is always so full and the people are so nice. I truly just love competing here and every time I come here I just remember why. People are so passionate about athletics. It’s nice to feel this kind of support when throwing. Throwing 80m again shows me and my coach that we are headed in the right direction. I am just grateful to take the last couple of years of growth and development from the Olympic Games in 2021 to World Championships last year. We are slowly figuring things out, on how I am operating as an athlete. I feel there is a lot more in the tank and it keeps me excited. I am looking forward to good throws and consistency. I feel I still have a lot to shoot for. If we don’t have goals as athletes, why stay in our sport? My coach and I always do a really good job setting new goals and to reach new things we want to accomplish. I want to be able to bring back to this sport as well. Just being able to come to competition without a coach and throw 80m, it shows that our system is in a good place. That’s precious. Even though there is no global competition this year, there is always something to shoot for. I don’t ever think about exact distances I would like to throw, I just focus on performing. Distances will come. Being able to improve, become a better athlete, not rush things, and to stay healthy is important for us. I want to stay in the sport as long as I can, and doing it in the healthiest and the safest way possible, is the priority. If 82 meters happens this year, I will not be mad. But there are also many more years I want to be here throwing.”
Pole Vault M / KC Lightfoot (USA) – 2nd 5.72
“It was a hard competition for me, I am still tired from traveling and it’s a little colder than I like temperature-wise. But I had a good time, we had a good competition and Emmanouil is very fit right now and it was exciting to see him jump the stadium record. I am just trying to get into rhythm to jump outdoors and I feel good. The crowd is great and the stadium is set up really nice for pole vault, right along the side, they are just right on top of you. We use the energy as much as we can. I had two competitions where I jumped 5m40, but it was just really bad wind and conditions. The 5m72 is getting everything started, so hopefully I have some higher bars coming soon. I am actually flying back home and jumping on Saturday in Texas. I don’t enjoy the travel part of being a professional athlete that much, but I feel that I have become better over the last few years. I made quite a few trips indoors, so it’s getting a bit easier to get on the plane. But nothing beats being at home where you have everything.”
Hammer Throw W / Silja Kosonen (FIN) – 2nd 76.41 SB
“It was a rough start, the throws weren’t that bad but I just felt a bit tired and the technique wasn’t perfect. But I am so happy with the last one because I could put all my remaining efforts into it. So I am proud of myself. I have been working with a speed coach now, it’s a great addition to the team and there are a lot of positive things coming out of this collaboration. I feel very confident in this first block of competitions. We have not had that many easy training sessions right now, so I am just waiting for that phase where it’s easier in order to get ready for Birmingham. But it’s very promising to throw that far with such a big training load. This year I will get that medal, hopefully the brightest one.”
100mH W / Saara Keskitalo (FIN) – 2nd 12.81 PB
“I ran two solid races today, so I am very happy with that. It was a tight schedule with a few back to back competitions. I am actually a little surprised it went so well today. Now, I will be focusing on training again and then racing in Lahti. I have been pretty healthy all year, so I think that’s the reason I am running PB’s this year.”
Pole Vault M / Emmanouil Karalis (GRE) – 1st 6m00 MR
“It was a good day today. I really enjoyed myself. It’s my first time in Turku actually and I hope the crowd loved it. I loved it for sure. I am hoping to jump even higher here next year. It is still the early season and I am not fully satisfied with my technique. But still, jumping over 6m is always a show in a good direction. The season is going to be a long one with Ultimate Championships in September.”
3000m Steeple W / Ilona Mononen (FIN) – 3rd 9:18.50 NR
“I am very proud of myself and really enjoyed the atmosphere, the Paavo Nurmi Stadium is always great. I was confident in my shape so I expected this time. I did some flat racing coming into this. Steeples are always a bit different, but I did a few workouts with barriers that went very well. I have run a PB in every race so far this season. I think those races have helped me to improve my stamina, as well as my winter training, and now I can show that on the steeple. I will be racing next in Stockholm. Even though I am still very young my goal at Europeans is to medal.”
High Jump W / Ella Mikkola (FIN) – 3rd 1m91 PB
“It was a really good competition. The jumps felt good, but the practice jumps were actually better. This is my first competition of the season, I just get to repeat this in order to feel better during the next competitions too. It’s great to be with those champions on the field and finishing third. Last year, I took quite a big step, we did the right things in training and I have grown so much physically and mentally. It has felt quite overwhelming sometimes but it’s so exciting to see the progress. The big goal are the World U20 Championships in August and some other competitions before that in July and a few training competitions in June. The European Championships are not on my radar, because they are time-wise impossible to combine with the World Juniors.”
100mH W / Rayniah Jones (USA) – 1st 12.60 SB
“I was pretty bombed when I ran 12.80 in the heats because I am aiming for the season’s best of 12.40. This is a step closer and I am glad about it. My coach wanted me to punch when I heard the gun. I was just focusing on that. Today was one of those days when it came together but not result-wise. I am just glad to be out there and compete. I felt pretty good over the hurdles but I need to work on my finish. A lot of time I think I gain a lot of speed I can’t control. It will come. I want to stay healthy and not rush anything.”
5000m M / Frederik Ruppert (GER) – 2nd 12:57.61 PB
“Again a good race. I didn’t expect that, I thought I would not feel good. Traveling the last few days was very exhausting, I spent more than 20 hours on the road. It took a lot of energy, but I tried to not let it affect me. It was a bit like Rabat, I felt better and better during the race, except the last 200m which were quite tough. I have gained such an endurance this year, in each race I feel easy till 70% of the race and then it only starts to get hard. I confirmed my race from Rabat very well, I would have never thought to run sub 13 here. The focus will stay on the steeplechase. It’s great to see that I get closer to the best in the world on the flat distances too. Now, I will go back home to rest a bit and put in a training block. Then I will race a 1500m in Hengelo, which will be very painful, and then in Paris another steeple before fully preparing for the Europeans.”
5000m M / Florian Bremm (GER) – 1st 12:56.80 PB
“I knew the training in the last weeks had been great. Actually, everybody told me that I am so fit and fast. I believed them but also knew that I needed to show it at the competition. The conditions were really perfect today, they couldn’t have been any better. Pacing was perfect, I could stay behind all the other runners, I pushed to the end. Running side to side with others gave me such a boost. That pushed me to sub-13. This was my first race of the season and now I want to run faster. The goal is to be in the top five at the European Championships. Middle-distance and distance running is really growing in Germany. It’s crazy to have Frederik running the European record.”
Long Jump W / Monae’ Nichols (USA) – 1st 6.88
“This is a big accomplishment for me because usually I am not consistent at the same marks, especially at 6.80m. I am really grateful and happy to finally be with my full head in the long jump and to jump far. As long as I come and compete at the meets, I don’t feel the need to check world rankings. I just want to win consistently. If I win with 6.40 that’s fine, and with 7m that’s fine too. Still, my ultimate goal as a long jumper is to jump a legal 7m. I want to be as consistent as possible this season and win as many meets as I can. I want to compete at the Ultimate Championships and win there too. I was supposed to run 100m at a meeting in Texas but in the end it was super cold and raining and I didn’t want to risk an injury. I was just talking my big talk about running 10.90 but it was a smart decision to skip the race in the end. I wanted to do this race also as training and I ended up doing tempo runs instead.”
Long Jump W / Jazmin Sawyers (GBR) – 2nd 6.62 SB
“I am glad to get second and to come back here, because I love the stadium and this meet. But I am pretty disappointed in the fact that this is my season best. I haven’t figured out yet what I am doing this season. But there is plenty of time left, so it’s okay. Last week, I was hitting personal bests for training things, so in theory, it’s the best I have ever been. And I am hitting 6.60s so it’s just starting to get irritating, especially because it has been three competitions in a row. But I just need to continue doing what I am doing and trust that things will come together. 2024 was difficult not being able to do anything, last year was amazing, by my third competition I jumped 6m89, I had a dream comeback. That set the expectations much higher for this year. Coming back from a big injury like that is a big challenge, but it’s amazing how quickly you go back to wanting more. I think that injuries have taught me that as long as I do the fundamental things right, eventually good things will come. I missed a lot of work in the year I was rehabbing and still managed to jump far in 2025. If I stay healthy the good jumps will come. Next, I am going to Nice and then we have our national championships because we have Commonwealth Games and Europeans, but I need to show form, otherwise I am not going. And I really want to compete in front of the home crowd twice.”
3000m Steeple W / Gracie Hyde (USA) – 2nd 9:16.61 PB
“I knew the race was going to be a little bit messy and that’s why I wanted to go out really strong. I was following the pacers, and tried to relax in the early stage of the race. I kind of stumbled on my third to last water jump. It kind of mentally shut me off for around 50m and I wished I took it better. I am really happy about where I am at this time of the year. In the last 1000m, I told myself to be fearless and just confident. That’s why I managed to finish strongly.”
1500m M / Ruben Verheyden (BEL) – 2nd 3:32.71
“Compared to Sunday in Rabat, it was a completely different race. The first lap was 1.5 seconds faster, so the second lap was already painful. But it’s nice to finish that close in such a race. In Rabat I faded a bit at the end, so I maybe went out a bit too cautiously today. It was a long trip from Rabat to Turku, but it is what it is. I felt this morning that my legs didn’t feel as fresh but I am old enough to deal with that and at championships that’s the case too. So, it’s a good exercise to run 3:32 twice to start the season. I may run another 800m at the Belgian Championships, depending on the preparations for the European Championships; I still need to qualify. But it’s a good training for the 1500m so you will see me over that distance again. The ambition is to win a medal at the European Championships, but we are 12 people who can do that. So, if I run a good race, I will be happy.”
1500m M / Mohamed Attaoui (ESP) – 1st 3:31.82 MR PB
“This race felt amazing. It’s always hard to predict how fast you can run in the first race of the season but I knew I trained hard. You still have to show it in the race. Sometimes it’s tough but today felt amazing. The atmosphere is really nice, the track is amazing, there was a great level of other runners and the pace was good too. Everything was amazing, it was a perfect race for me. I am happy how I planned this race with my coaches. It’s always amazing to run a PB on meetings like this one. I am excited for what is coming. I will go step by step now. I want to improve my PB again but I will focus on 800m. I plan to run it at the European Championships. I will run 800m in Stockholm next. I am excited for that race.”
1500m W / Joceline Wind (SUI) – 2nd 4:05.54
“It was a difficult race, the pace was very uneven and it was too controlled, so it was more of a tactical race. The field was quite good, so I had the feeling that I got clipped every 100m, so it’s a good championship practice. I was probably a bit too nervous during the race. One of my goals was to stay on the inside and wait until a decisive move was made, but there were many moves made because of the pace. I kind of instinctively responded to them and lost a bit of energy with that. I was hoping to win, but it was a very strong field with the experienced Canadian. It was a very good practice for not so fast races after very fast races in the Diamond League. At the World Indoor Championships in Torun, I saw how much progress I made and that I am competing on a different level now. This outdoor season, I have been very eager to show that. To get a chance to really go for it in Diamond Leagues, to place second in a gold meet, shows me that I am on the right track. One of the main reasons I took such a big step this season is that I finished my studies last fall, so I basically went pro and can go all in on running. It has been a bit of an adjustment, I didn’t know what to do with my time but now we can work on all the details. And I also train with Audrey Werro, who has also gone pro, as well as our coach. So I think it’s a group dynamic that has been carrying us.”
1500m W / Gabriela Debues-Stafford (CAN) – 1st 4:04.40
“I had a couple of plans on what I could do in today’s race. I am coming back to track after an injury and I opened my season later than I usually would. I had a stress reaction in my shin. It’s not the worst injury you could get but not the best one either. I took some time off. I have been training for a while now and I am starting to feel a bit more like myself. I didn’t feel great today but I was telling myself during the race ‘You’re ok, you’re ok, just push.’ I burned quickly but I came back to the race in the end. I took control and hoped nobody could reach me. It’s hard to race in this race as you don’t really see shadows so I didn’t know if girls are close to me. I couldn’t see the TV. Sometimes I try not to look at it as it might distract me. But I will admit it, I tried to look at the screen but I couldn’t really tell what was going on. I knew it was just 1500m and I had to run as fast as possible. I set the meeting record here last year so it feels good to still keep it. I love Turku, it’s a great meet. This season is a bit tricky. The Diamond League schedule for 1500m is in a collision with the Canadian Championships and that’s challenging. This year I will focus on the Commonwealth Games and just use this year as the building blocks for next year and the World Championships in Beijing. Last season was a really really big push going from 4:15 to running 3:59. It was a lot of work. I hope to run really fast in Beijing.”
100m M / Romell Glave (GBR) – 1st 10.16
“It has been great to win back to back here in Turku. I try to be consistent on the circuit and I was able to do that today. The start was not how it wanted it to be, but I was just able to get in my run, focus on what I needed to do and get the victory. I was having issues with those specific blocks, so I need to work on that. In Savona, I ran a wind-aided 9.88, it was a well executed race, I wish I could have done that today. Compared to last year, I am just focusing on myself now and not thinking about external things, and not showing too much respect to the field. Before, sometimes I did and ended up overthinking.”
100m W / Minke Bisschops (NED) – 1st 11.25
“My first gold meet win today! The race didn’t go as smoothly as hoped, the start wasn’t great, but the finish was good. It’s my season opener, so I was still getting used to racing and got tired at the end of the race. It’s a bit sad that we ran into the headwind, because on the other side there was a tailwind during the heats. To open the season with 11.15 in the heats is very good though. After 2024 I found back the pleasure at training and the collaboration with the coaches went really well and gave me a lot of confidence, and then the results follow eventually. I really want to run sub 11 this season and come close to Dafne Schippers’ National Record, in the 200m I want to run 22 flat and get close to the medals at the Europeans.”
400mH M / Matic Ian Guček (SLO) – 1st 48.47
“It was my first Gold meet victory. I had three races within 0”10 in the last weeks, so it means I am in good shape. This race wasn’t perfect. I was trying some new rhythm and the ninth hurdle came a little too far so I had to jump to get it. But regardless of that, it was a good race with a tight finish, I had to jump in order to win. Now, I will go home to relax a bit and then go to Ostrava. The goal is to get a medal at the European Champs, even though it’s gonna be very tough, because the guys are very fast. It’s the best generation, the fastest ever, it’s a special feeling to be that good in that generation. I learn a lot from them and I am looking forward to getting closer to them in the coming years.
100m M / Abdurahman Karriem (RSA) – 2nd 10.22
“I had my first races today coming out of injury. I had issues with both my knees and hamstrings. I couldn’t train and now we are slowly getting back in shape. This result today is not what I wanted but as long as I am healthy, I am happy. I prefer to run two races in a day over one at the moment. I will compete this weekend again and from there we will see.”
100m W / Boglarka Takacs (HUN) 2nd 11.33
“We were not so lucky in the final race with the huge headwind. It happens. This wasn’t my best day, I didn’t feel completely ready during the warm-up. But step by step. It’s really a good training to have two races on the same day and with fast competitors. The goal for the past years has been to just keep getting faster, which I managed but I still want to go faster. I have big goals for this season, and the main objective are the European Championships. I want to run sub-11. I studied law for two and a half years but I stopped it because of training camps and competitions. But I will continue it.”
High Jump W / Yuliia Levchenko (UKR) – 1st 1.97
“This was an interesting competition. The girls jumped well and they pushed me to jump higher. At 2m I didn’t feel any pressure and that’s why I raised the bar to 2.03. I wanted to push myself to jump higher. I am still very satisfied with 1.97. The attempt at 2.03 was the best of all my jumps today. Now, I need to recover and then be a bit stronger in the next competitions. The 2.03 felt nice and now I know I can jump it. The season just started and it’s going to be a long one. My target are the European Championships.”
400mH M / Alastair Chalmers (GBR) – 2nd 48.53 SB
“It was a really good race, a really good field of athletes. I came to win it today but came second in a close finish. But it was all fair-play. I felt a bit rubbish at the first 100m, I need to get back to training. It’s going to be a long season. I need to get back to training and try to push my limits. But firstly, go back and reset. I want to win the Commonwealth Games, make the final of the European Championships and run 47 seconds. I know I can do it.”
Shot Put W / Chase Jackson (USA) – 1st 20.66 MR SB
“I was really excited when I found out the women’s shot put was in the programme here. It has been so long. Last time I was here I cracked my ankle but I still won. I am happy with the numbers today. My series were really nice. Still, I wanted to give the stadium a big throw, it felt close but I might not have given myself an opportunity. I didn’t sleep very well and I felt it today. But overall, I am happy with my performance. I hope to come back to Turku. I will compete in Stockholm and Oslo, then at the Los Angeles Grand Prix and after I will go home. I have a pretty busy week and a half coming up, just meet after meet. It is kind of nice not to have a major competition, to just go for the result. I really want to beat my American record and keep throwing further and further. I know I am capable of big steps. I want to just give myself an opportunity to do it. It’s a bummer to see myself throw 21 metres at practice and don’t show it at competition. But I know I can do it. I just want to get it done.”
Shot Put W / Jessica Schilder (NED) – 2nd 20.18
“I am not really happy with my competition, I was hoping for a bit more. But I didn’t really know what I could expect after my 21m throw in China. I trained heavily when I came back from China, I also moved and the travel to Turku was quite long too. So, in these conditions I can’t be unhappy. Next, I have Oslo, I need to rest a little bit more before though. The crowd was amazing, the ring is very fast too. The weather was very good too and it’s a lovely city. I really hope to come back, especially if the organization is that good again!”
Pole Vault W / Wilma Heltelä (FIN) – 4th 4.56
“This felt very good. I was running only 12 steps which is shorter than my usual runway. I was very happily surprised by how consistent I was, technically well I jumped and kind of aggressive I was today. I have been only training for four weeks after my concussion. I did a snatch and a bar with 55 kilograms hit my head. I didn’t know that the recovery would be that long and I learnt a lot during this process. I had a lot of questions for myself, like where I am and how long would it take me to come back. But this was a surprise. It gave me a lot of confidence for the next competitions. I was using poles I used during the indoor season and I was jumping from the full runway then. I feel really strong now and I am confident in my abilities. I am excited to be back to the full runway. Birmingham feels far now but it is the main goal of the season. I would like to say that I am a medal candidate but a lot can happen in two months. But I want to aim for the medal at the European Championships and then compete at the Ultimate Championships. Result-wise, I really want to get back to 4.80m, a global serious result. I know I belong there. I am on a good roll now. I have been working consistently and I am healthy now. I hope to get back to where I was, at my best, and hopefully surpass that. But, one day at a time.“
Pole Vault W / Imogen Ayris (NZL) – 1st 4.81 MR PB
“This feels amazing. I jumped only a couple of days ago in Rabat so it was a pretty quick turnaround. I had tired legs and I was tired. We had to kind of go to plan B today and I was not expecting to jump a PB, especially based on how the warm-up went. I was chasing 4.80 for a couple of meets now and I was really close. To finally jump it here, with this amazing crowd, feels really special. I will jump in Ostrava next. I will compete at the Commonwealth Games in July. It would be amazing to make it to the World Athletics Ultimate Championships. I wasn’t expecting to jump 4.80m by now so I will just try to keep building from here and see where it will take me. New Zealand has a really good pole vaulting history. That’s not a pressure for me, it actually motivates me to work even more. It is amazing to have three athletes making consistently global finals and all pushing each other to be better and to fight for the spot in the team. It brings the best out of us and the most competitive side of us.”
Discus Throw M / Daniel Ståhl (SWE) – 2nd 67.40
“I didn’t take the last three throws but nothing to be worried about. I did pretty heavy squats last week so I am building up my power. I feel a bit tight in my groins, I just need a massage and then it will be fine. I just didn’t want to push it, just in case, because it’s a long season. My goal are the European Championships and throw really far before that. I am competing in Stockholm and then continue with a lot of meets in June, a few less in July and then pre-camp in Sweden in my hometown Malmö and then just kick ass in Birmingham. The start of the season went pretty well, I threw my season best in Rehlingen and it was very fun to compete there. It’s amazing to see how the discus world is crazy right now. I am happy to be part of it. It’s amazing to be here in Turku: my mom is from here, my grandma still lives here and I speak the language pretty well. It’s like coming home, it’s such a great city.“
Discus Throw M / Kristjan Čeh (SLO) – 1st 69.13
“It feels very good to be back inTurku and to win here for the second year in a row. People here like the discus throw, the stadium is full. It’s a totally different energy and that’s why I like to come back. I know I can throw further but I was struggling in the first two competitions this season. Today, I had easier throws and I wanted to focus on technique. In the last attempt I tried with the full power, it was not the best throw but the overall competition was very good. I will go to Stockholm to compete at the Diamond League next. The main goal of the season is to defend the European title in Birmingham. I want to keep the title. I know I can throw much further than 72 metres too, especially in competitions outside of Ramona.“
3000m Steeple M / Mohammed Tindoufti (MAR) – 1st 8:11.52
“The race went very well for me, it was the second race of the year for me. In Rabat I already came close to my personal best and today too, so that’s promising. Now I want to compete well at the Diamond Leagues and break that 8:10 barrier.”
3000m Steeple M / Abrham Sime (ETH) – 2nd 8:14.09 SB
“The first kilometre felt good. It was very easy for me to run, I liked the pace. This is my fourth time in Turku and it felt good to be back. The goal this season is to run a personal best. I trained well and I expect to show it on the track. I will run different distances this year, not only the steeplechase. I will probably try the 1500m.”
