Alisa Vainio’s dominant marathon win inspires hometown Lappeenranta

Alisa Vainio’s European championship victory in the women’s marathon has brought joy to her hometown of Lappeenranta, Yle reports. Residents believe the historic win will strengthen the city’s reputation as a sports centre.

“It is great to see sport from Lappeenranta put on the world map, because in my opinion we do not currently have enough athletes competing at international level,” Valtteri Tyynelä said.

Tyynelä believes Vainio’s victory will encourage more young people to take up athletics in the near future.

Role model for young athletes

Salla Tarkiainen, who had travelled from the municipality of Lemi to athletics training, watched the end of the race on her phone during a car journey. She said the victory had created a positive atmosphere.

“Good runners come from Lappeenranta. Since I also do athletics, Alisa is a good role model from this area,” Tarkiainen said.

Satu Kouvo also described Vainio as a strong role model for younger athletes.

“Alisa is down-to-earth and pleasant, and you see her regularly at the local athletics field. She organises all kinds of running events that anyone can join,” Kouvo said.

Former neighbour watched emotionally

Matti Tiilikainen, who introduced himself as Vainio’s former neighbour, said he watched the race with strong emotions.

“When Alisa set off at such a fast pace, I was a little worried about whether she would last to the end. But she kept going at the same speed all the way to the finish. There probably has never been such a dominant winner. The victory was clear,” Tiilikainen said.

He said Vainio had been an energetic child and that her victory was deeply moving.

“The victory means a lot to people in Lappeenranta, and to the work of Lappeenrannan Urheilu-Miehet in general,” Tiilikainen said.

Vainio, who entered the marathon as the favourite, won on Sunday in a time of 2:22:26. Her lead over the other runners grew to almost five minutes at its greatest.

After the race, Vainio told Yle that her first priority was to see her family.

“The first thing I want to do is see my family. That feels really important at this moment,” she said.