Javelin star Oliver Helander adjusts technique, targets European Championships medal

Finnish javelin star Oliver Helander delivered on his promise of a different performance at the Kaleva Championships, securing the gold medal with a throw of 81.60 meters. Helander expressed satisfaction with his consistent and solid performance, noting that his longest throw, measuring approximately 83-84 meters, was unfortunately fouled due to an overstep.

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If I'm being completely honest, the change should have been made earlier.

Helander revealed that he has significantly altered his throwing technique, moving away from diving after the initial pull and now focusing on maintaining an upright posture. He admitted that this technical adjustment should have been implemented sooner. "If I'm being completely honest, the change should have been made earlier," Helander stated. While this new technique results in a slightly slower arm whip, it transfers power to the javelin much more reliably.

Under the guidance of Estonian javelin medalist Magnus Kirt since last autumn, Helander initiated the latest technical change himself. He expressed frustration with inconsistent results, explaining that fluctuating between 70 and 80-meter throws makes achieving 90 meters difficult. Kirt observed Helander's gold-medal performance, and the duo is now preparing for the European Championships in Denmark.

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Annoying to throw bad results. That's how the good ones are born too: if there's variation between 70 and 80, it's hard to throw 90.

Helander has set a respectable medal target for the European Championships, which he believes is achievable given the current level of men's javelin competition in Europe. He noted that German Julian Weber leads the rankings with 87.01 meters, and only a few other throwers have surpassed 85 meters. Helander feels that throws of 85-86 meters should be his standard, a mark he believes he could have reached in the recent competition. He also identified a need to improve the lift in his throws for the upcoming championships to gain more distance.

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By all logic, 85 or 86 should be a standard for me. That should have been possible today too.