Leo-Pekka Tähti retains 100 metres title at Paralympics

Finnish contingent brings home six medals from Beijing

Jani Kallunki

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Early this morning Finnish time, Leo-Pekka Tähti won the wheelchair 100 metres at the Paralympics in Beijing. Tähti, who was also the gold medallist in the T-54 event at the Athens games, clocked a time of 13.81.
      The silver and bronze medals went to Thailand’s Saichon Konjen (14.04) and Supachai Koysub (14.22).
      The 25-year-old Tähti laid down a very strong marker in the event in the qualifying heats yesterday, setting a new world record of 13.76. He has in fact gone even faster over 100 metres, but the 13.59 he set earlier this year in Switzerland has not been recognised for some reason, and so his time broke the earlier record - also in Tähti’s name - of 13.88, set in 2006.
     
Tähti has now taken two medals from the Beijing Paralympics, since he finished in the bronze medal position in the T-54 200 metres.
      In Athens four years ago he was a double gold medallist in the wheelchair sprints, and his achievements there propelled him high in the standings for that year's Sports Personality of the Year.
     
Tuesday also saw a silver medal in the wheelchair shot putt for Markku Niinimäki, to go alongside the gold medal Niinimäki won - with a new world record - in the javelin.
     
Finland’s athletes have now completed their endeavours in Beijing, and the games have produced a total of six medals, two of each colour.
      In addition to the two men above, Jani Kallunki took a bronze in the judo in the 66kg weight category and Jarmo Ollanketo and Marko Törmänen brought home a surprise silver in the tandem cycling road race for the blind and visually impaired.
      After riding 96.8 kilometres over the road circuit, Ollanketo and his sighted pilot were just one second outside the gold medal and four seconds ahead of the third-placed riders in a flat-out sprint finish to one of the games’ most exciting races. The pair also came home 9th in the tandem time-trial event.
     
In Athens four years ago, Finland picked up eight medals (4-1-3).
      The games in Beijing end tomorrow, and have seen performances from more than 4,000 athletes from 148 countries.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Second gold medal at Paralympics; javelin thrower misses out by 10 cm (22.9.2004)

See also:
  Paralympics gold-medalist Leo-Pekka Tähti enjoying his success (12.10.2004)
  Wrestler Yli-Hannuksela adds Sports Personality of the Year title to Olympic silver medal (23.12.2004)

Links:
  Photos of Tähti´s race win
  Leo-Pekka Tähti
  Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games

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