Satu Mäkelä-Nummela wins gold in Beijing women's trap event

Henri Häkkinen takes bronze in air rifle shooting as Finland opens Summer Olympics medals account

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Finland opened its medals account at the Beijing Olympics on Monday morning, as first Henri Häkkinen collected a bronze medal in the men’s 10 metre air rifle shooting, and a few hours later Satu Mäkelä-Nummela broke the bank by grabbing gold in the women’s trap shooting.
      Mäkelä-Nummela’s victory returned Finland to the gold standard after a gap of six years - the last gold medal won by the country’s athletes came in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002. Athens brought just two silver medals, and the last time the country celebrated gold at the Summer Games was in Sydney eight years ago.
     
The 37-year-old Mäkelä-Nummela, from Orimattila, went into the final as joint leader with a score of 70, and brought down 21 of the 25 targets in the final to set a new Olympic record of 91.
      She was pushed all the way by Zuzana Stefeceková of Slovakia, who also scored 70 in the opening session, but could only add 19 more hits, leaving the Finn two clear at the death. Satu Mäkelä-Nummela becomes only the fourth Finnish female gold medallist at the Summer Olympics.
      The bronze medal went to Corey Cogdell of the United States after a four-way shoot-off.
     
Earlier on Monday, Henri Häkkinen had already won the medal that the Finnish shooting contingent had set as their target for the games, as he finished third behind Abhinav Bindra of India and Zhu Qinan of China in the men’s 10 metre air rifle event. Bindra’s gold medal was India’s first-ever individual victory at the Summer Olympics and the country’s first gold medal since the field hockey team won in 1980.
     
The Finnish shooting team had set themselves a target of one medal and two places in the finals, and since Mia Nevansuu placed 7th in the final of the women’s 10 metre air pistol on Sunday, this objective has already been achieved and surpassed in just three days.
     
Such an excellent Monday is certain to bring joy and relief to the 58-strong Finnish team in Beijing, and to the national Olympic Committee, which has called for three medals, one of them golden.
      Many felt in advance that this was an ambitious target in the intensively competitive world of the modern Olympics, but the games are still young and early successes often have an infectious habit of encouraging the other athletes on the team to bring out their best.

More on this subject:
 PM Matti Vanhanen: Attending Olympics opening ceremony was worthwhile

Previously in HS International Edition:
  Six-time Olympian Juha Hirvi to carry Finnish flag at Beijing opening ceremonies (7.8.2008)

Links:
  Satu Mäkelä-Nummela and Henri Häkkinen on the Finnish Shooting Team in Beijing
  Finnish Team in Beijing
  Finland at the 2008 Olympic Games (Wikipedia)

Helsingin Sanomat