European Athletics: Laurila calls qualifying a 'complete farce' as Kangas reaches shot put final

Finnish shot putters faced mixed fortunes at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, with Emilia Kangas securing a spot in the final while Minttu Laurila and Senja Mäkitörmä were eliminated.

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My competition was a complete farce. I'll probably feel better tonight.

Kangas qualified for the final with a throw of 18.04 meters, marking a personal best in a major championship. The 25-year-old athlete, celebrating her birthday on Monday, expressed satisfaction with her performance and aims to improve further in the evening's final.

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I'm upset to fail in a competition like this.

In contrast, Laurila, a debutant at the senior level, was visibly upset after her qualifying round. Her throw of 15.40 meters was nearly a meter short of her personal best. "My competition was a complete farce," Laurila stated, visibly emotional. "I'm upset to fail in a competition like this."

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It's a bit of a bitter spot to be 13th, but it wasn't a bad result. I can't be too disappointed.

Mäkitörmä narrowly missed out on a final spot, finishing 13th overall. She was in contention until the final round when Germany's Katrina Maisch surpassed her mark. Despite the disappointment, Mäkitörmä acknowledged that her performance was not poor, throwing 17.38 meters, just 14 centimeters shy of her season's best.

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I didn't even know, that sounds pretty good. I want to be the first in everything.