Riku Illukka
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Born | 21 February 1999 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Sprint |
| Club | Vantaan Salamoe |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | 60m: 6.60 (2026) 100m: 10.26 (2021) 200m: 20.76 (2025) |
Riku Illukka (born 21 February 1999) is a Finnish sprinter. He is a multiple-time national champion having won titles over 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres.[1]
Biography
From Vantaa, he is a member of Vantaan Salamoe athletics club. He was a keen footballer before focusing on athletics. In 2017 in Espoo, Illukka won the Finnish Under-19 title in the 100 metres with a time of 10.67 seconds. The following year, Illukka ran a 200 metres personal best of 21.31 was set in Geneva.[2][3]
He qualified for the 60 metres at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, for his senior championship debut, running 6.79 seconds to place fifth in his heat.[4][5] That summer, he lowered his personal best to 10.27 seconds for the 100 metres and won the Finnish Athletics Championships over 200 metres, and was selected for the 2021 European Athletics U23 Championships, in Tallinn.[6][7]
In June 2024, he set a 100 metres personal best of 10.26 seconds and won the Finnish national title over that distance for the first time.[8] In August 2025, he won the 200 metres title in 20.76 seconds at the Finnish Championships.[9] He also placed third over 100 metres at the Championships.[10][11]
Illukka set a new personal best for the 60 metres with a time of 6.60 seconds in February 2026.[12] Running 6.68 seconds he won the 2026 Finnish Indoor title over 60 metres.[13] In March 2026 at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, Illukka competed in the men's 60 metres, and narrowly missed out on qualification to the semi-finals, running a time of 6.64 seconds in his heat, only two hundredths of a second behind the second place runner in his heat and a time equal to that of other heat qualifiers.[14][15] He competed at the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham, England in August 2026, and was a semi-finalist of both the 100 metres and 200 metres.[16][17] He also ran in the men's 4 x 100 metres relay at the championships.[18]
References
- ↑ "Riku Illukka". World Athletics.
- ↑ "Riku Illukka cleared the 100m in 10.67 - "Being below the European Championship mark was a bit of a surprise"". yle. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "Sprinter promise Purola believes in record speed at home World Championships – misses 200 meters". yle. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "The gate opened for the European Indoor Championships – Riku Illukka, 21, from Vantaa Salamoe, ran his record at 60 meters and is going to the adult competition for the first time". vantaansanomat.fi. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "European Athletics Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "Here are Finland's medal candidates for the European Youth Athletics Championships - will the men's 100m even be a huge success?". yle. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "Finnish Championships". World Athletics. 20 March 2026. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ↑ "The sprinter representing Vantaa finally took the title of Finland's fastest man - the Olympics are next in mind". vantaansanomat.fi. 28 September 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "Finnish Championships". World Athletics. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "Samuel Purola counted to ten with his eyes closed, the silver medal did not console Elina Lampela - A day of four medals at Oulu Pyrinnö". Kaleva. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "Finnish Championships". World Athletics. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "HIPPOSHALLIT 2: SPEED FENCERS IN GREAT SHAPE IN THE 60-METER FENCES!". jku.fi. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "Finnish Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 28 February 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "Baas sets new Finnish record but misses out on final at World Indoor Championships". Flashscore. 20 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "World Athletics Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 20 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "European Athletics Championships". World Athletics. 10 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ "European Athletics Championships". World Athletics. 10 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ "European Athletics Championships". World Athletics. Retrieved 15 August 2026.