Pole vaulter Juho Alasaari gave the home crowd the perfect climax to a superb European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo on Sunday (16) evening, winning Finland’s third gold medal of the championships.
The 19-year-old improved his personal best by 11 centimetres to 5.71m to win a surprising gold in the men’s pole vault. After clearing 5.66m at the final attempt, he took control of the competition with a first-time clearance at 5.71m.
