Jessica Kähärä (born 1 August 2001) is a multi-event track and field athlete from Finland. She has won Finnish national titles in the long jump and high jump.[1]

Jessica Kähärä
Personal information
Born (2001-08-01) 1 August 2001 (age 23)
Sport
CountryFinland
SportAthletics
Event(s)High jump, long jump, triple jump
ClubMikkeli Kilpa-Veikkou
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)High Jump: 1.90m (Kuopio, 2019) NU20R
Long Jump: 6.47m (Jyväskylä, 2023)
Triple Jump: 13.87m (Kuortane, 2023)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Finland
European U23 Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Espoo Triple jump
Youth Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Buenos Aires High jump
European Youth Olympic Festival
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Győr High jump
European U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Győr High jump
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Győr Triple jump

Career

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Kähärä was a bronze medalist in the high jump at the European Youth Olympics in Győr, Hungary.[2]

She won silver in the high jump and bronze in the triple jump at the 2018 European Athletics U18 Championships in Győr, Hungary.[3] That year, she was also a bronze medalist in the high jump at the Athletics at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.[4]

She won the Finnish national indoor title in the high jump in February 2019 and broke the Finnish national under-20 record with a 1.90m clearance.[5] She competed amongst senior athletes at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. However, a succession of injuries over the next years including ankle surgery that ruled her out of much of the 2021 season, led her to move away from the high jump discipline.[6]

She won the Finnish national title in the long jump at the 2023 Finnish indoor national championships in February 2023.[7] She won bronze in the triple jump at the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland. She also competed at the 2023 University Games in Chengdu in August 2023.[8][9]

She was named in the Finnish team for the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome.[10]

Personal life

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A member of the Mikkeli Kilpa-Veikkou Athletics club in Mikkeli, Kähärä studies physical education and social sciences at the University of Jyväskylä.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Jessica Kähärä". World Athletics. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  2. ^ Morgan, Liam (28 July 2017). "EOC praise young ambassador programme at Győr 2017". Insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Maria Vicente completes heptathlon and triple jump double in Gyor". Athletics Weekly. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ^ Ruokoski, Vilma (16 October 2018). "Jessica Kähärä jumped to bronze at the Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires". yle.fi. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  5. ^ Sippola, Joel (13 July 2023). "Jessica Kähärä's whim could lead to a gold mine - the top talent in athletics sets tough goals for her career". yle.fi. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  6. ^ Ruokoski, Vilma; Ursin, Sari (28 February 2023). "Jessica Kähärä changing the high jump to the triple jump - the result of the sport trial is the SM gold". yle.fi. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  7. ^ Rein, Paul (13 July 2023). "A playful experiment led to a change of sport - Jessica Kähärä's prospects for success brightened in the triple jump". lapinkansa.fi. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Triple jumper Jessica Kähärä's season is over - "Incredibly sad"". hs.fi. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  9. ^ Nyman, Juhana (7 August 2023). "The season of the Finnish comet in the athletics season is over: "Time to blow the game to a halt"". mtvuutiset.fi. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Tässä on Suomen 67 urheilijan joukkue Rooman EM-kisoihin – Wilma Murto ansaitsi Suomelle yllätyspaikan". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 30 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  11. ^ Heikkinen, Antero (15 June 2022). "Jessica Kähärä aims for record improvements - Mikkeli Kilpa-Veikkou's multi-talent hopes for an intact season after last summer's injury". mikkelinkaupunkilehti.fi. Retrieved 30 December 2023.