For Stora Tuna Fifth consecutive Jukola relay victory – the Finnish team ended a 45-year wait with its third place

Big ones Tuna was in a class of her own in the relay, as the anchor of the team Emil Swedish came to the finish line almost 12 minutes ahead of the second-placed Swedish OK Linné team.

In Kauhava, the best Finnish team was Ikaalisten Nouseva-Voima in third place. Tampere’s Pyrintö was fourth, Joensuu’s Kalevan Rasti fifth, Helsinki’s Suunnistajat eighth and Tampere’s Koovee ninth.

Orienteering in the ranks of Stora Tuna from Borlänge Olle Kalered, Joakim Swedish, Jesper Swedish, Ville Johansson, Henrik Johannesson, Victor Swedish and Emil Svensk. The Svenskis are brothers.

On Saturday, Stora Tuna won the women’s Venlo relay.

Of the Icals Nouseva-Voima had reached the podium in the Jukola relay last time 45 years ago, in 1979.

In the Ikaal team, they now navigated in order Juho Ylinen, Mikko Knuuttila, Joona Huila, Mikko Siren, Tuomas Kotro, Teemu Oksanen and Eetu Savolainen.

The battle for third place was heated between several Finnish teams, especially in the latter stages. Before the penultimate leg, the Ikaali team was not at its strongest in the fight, when the gap to the other leading Finnish teams was about three minutes.

“All I knew was that I was replaced in eighth place. Yes, I knew that places could rise, but this was an amazing anchor section. It’s not the first time that Eetu eats little boys for breakfast in front of him,” Teemu Oksanen, who sent Eetu Savolainen to the anchor role, commented on his teammate’s performance.

“Fortunately, we have a world-class anchor,” Oksanen concluded.

Savolainen said that he noticed right at the start that the race was going on. He was the fastest anchor in the race.

“I didn’t even think about investments anyway. Actually, I only heard at the last crossing that we were in third place.”

While waiting for his part, Savolainen had managed to sleep, and preparations for the world’s largest relay orienteering event were made like any other race day. The early date did not matter.

“Yes, there is always traffic in Jukola. That’s nice,” commented Savolainen, who played a great anchor role, casually.

To Tampere Like last year, Pyrintö had to settle for fourth place. However, the overarching thoughts were positive.

“Different feelings in that way, that you always want to get there for the highest places. When you look at the others and how well they are in shape, you have to be satisfied with this”, who ran the opening leg of Pyrinnö Anton Kuukka once

“Yes, it was a really exciting situation, that until the very end all three were fighting for third place,” Kuukka stated.

Kuukka himself has been involved in Jukola’s message since 2011.

“The great Jukola is behind us again, and from this we will certainly be able to continue training with a good mood, in order to get there to the absolute top.”

In addition to Pyrinnö and “Nouski”, Kalevan’s Rasti also participated in the battle for third place.