Santeri Kuusiniemi
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 October 1998 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Events | 110 m hurdles, 60 m hurdles |
| Club | Jyväskylän Kenttäurheilijat |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | 110mH: 13.58 (Budapest, 2024) 60mH: 7.70 (Jyväskylä, 2026) |
Santeri Kuusiniemi (born 10 October 1998) is a Finnish sprint hurdler. He was a finalist in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2024 European Championships, and won the 110m hurdles at the 2024 Finnish Athletics Championships.[1]
Biography
A member of Lempää Kisa Athletics as a junior athlete, he was the 100 metres and 200 metres Finnish junior champion as a teenager. At the age of 19 years-old, Kuusiniemi, ran the 60 metres hurdles in 7.6 at the Finnish Junior Championships, lower than Elmo Lakka's Finnish junior record. However, it did not count as a record due to a technical fault with the electronic timing.[2]
Kuusiniemi later became a member of Jyväskylä Track and Field Club (JKU) in Jyväskylä.[3] He won his first senior national title at the 2022 Finnish Indoor Athletics Championships in Kuopio, winning the 60m hurdles.[4] He was a semi-finalist in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, running 13.89 seconds in his heat, and 13.81 seconds in the semi-final.[5][6]
Kuusiniemi was second to JKU club mate Elmo Lakka in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2024 Finnish Indoor Athletics Championships.[7] Kuusiniemi placed seventh overall in the 110m hurdles at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy, running 13.84 seconds.[8] Later that month, he won the 110m hurdles title at the Finnish Athletics Championships in Vaasa, running 13.66 seconds (+0.7) in the final.[9][3] The win ended the streak of streak of his teammate Elmo Lakka, who had won the previous nine Finnish Championship titles.[10] He placed second to Elmo Lakka in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2025 Finnish Championships in Espoo.[11]
On 1 March 2026, he was a narrow second to Elmo Lakka in the 60 metres hurdles, running 7.78 seconds at the Finnish Indoor Championships in Espoo.[12] That month, he was selected for the Finland team to compete at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, running 7.75 seconds.[13][14] In August 2026, he ran in the men's 110 metres hurdles at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, reaching the semi-finals.[15]
References
- ↑ "Santeri Kuusiniemi". World Athletics. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ "18-year-old Santeri Kuusiniemi was aiming for a top time". yleisurheilu.fi. 12 Feb 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- 1 2 "JKU was the best club at the Kaleva Finnish Championship, winning a total of ten medals". yle.fi. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ "Finnish Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 19 Feb 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ "Santeri Kuusiniemi ran to the semi-finals of the speed hurdles - Elmo Lakka was eliminated in the next round". etusuora.com. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ "European Athletics Championships". World Athletics. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ↑ "Jyväskylä Field Athletes Receive Medals from the Finnish Athletics Championships – Women's Relay Team Sets New Finnish Record". yle.fi. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ "Reetta Hurske's fantastic performance at the European Championships". paivanlehti.fi. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ "Finnish Championships". World Athletics. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ "Santeri Kuusiniemi delighted about ending his incredible championship streak: "A truly incredible crown"". yle.fi. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ "Finnish Championships". World Athletics. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ "Finnish Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ "Reetta Hurske will not go to the World Championships – Riku Illukka and Santeri Kuusiniemi will be there". yle.fi. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ "World Athletics Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "European Athletics Championships". World Athletics. Retrieved 15 August 2026.