Kristiina Mäkelä was moved by the resignation threat of the respected Sports Association boss.
– You can’t sleep when all the reels are spinning in your head, wondering if this was really true and what really happened here, Mäkelä reflects.
When he was fresh, Mäkelä didn’t remember much about his jump that brought the silver medal and the Finnish record. Now he has seen it a couple of times. Although the jump brought success, there was still room for improvement, according to Orimattilaisen.
– It wasn’t a perfect jump yet. That third round jump would have been better.
Mäkelä is not resting on its laurels after the European Championships, there are still events in the Competition Calendar. He will be seen in the Diamond League and the Finland-Sweden international match, among other things. Hunger grows when you eat, and with the medal, Mäkelä sets off to pursue further success.
– It would be nice to go and try it again, if there would be such a top-flight in the Diamond League, Mäkelä thinks.
Mäkelä wanted to secure Itani’s continuation
– Sami is really a great guy and a multi-talent. He is a great thinker too and we need people like him in athletics. I did everything I could to keep Sami in this harness.
Mäkelä also has a clear message and wish for Itani.
– I hope that he will never again say that he is leaving because of something like that, Mäkelä says, clearly moved.