Finnish medal hopeful Enni Virjonen starts strong at U20 World Athletics Championships

Finnish heptathlete Enni Virjonen began her U20 World Athletics Championships campaign in Eugene, USA, with a powerful performance. Competing in the opening event, the 100-meter hurdles, Virjonen secured second place with a time of 13.36 seconds. This puts her in a strong position early in the heptathlon competition.

Virjonen's personal best in the 100m hurdles is 13.26 seconds, set at the Kaleva Games in July. Her performance on Wednesday was slightly slower than her record but still competitive. The fastest in the hurdles event was Britain's Thea Brown, who set a new youth world championship record of 13.23 seconds.

As a favorite for the gold medal, Virjonen enters the championships as the top-ranked athlete with a personal best of 6,189 points achieved in Götzis, Austria. The second Finnish competitor, Nuppu Willman, finished the hurdles in 14.76 seconds, placing last in the opening event. The heptathlon continues with the high jump, shot put, and 200-meter race.