Finnish Marathon Champion Flew Home in Economy Class, Complains of Being "Herded Like Pigs"

Finnish athlete Alisa Vainio, who won the marathon at the European Championships, joked upon returning to Helsinki on Monday that instead of business class, she and the other Finnish medalists were "herded into a pigpen" — in other words, seated in regular economy class.

Finland has traditionally been regarded as a strong sporting nation, but two years ago it suffered a genuine setback: the team returned from the Paris Summer Olympics without a single medal for the first time. This time, it was the women who salvaged the country's honor at the European Championships, bringing home two golds and a silver, which helped Finland finish among the top ten nations at the tournament.

At Helsinki Airport, Vainio was greeted with applause and flowers, with Harri Aalto, head of the Finnish Athletics Federation, among those welcoming her. However, unlike freshly-crowned European hammer throw champion Silja Kosonen, the golden marathoner didn't get a business-class seat — like pole vault silver medalist Wilma Hälleä, she flew economy.

A Commanding Victory and a New Course Record

Vainio dominated Sunday's race from the start: she broke away from the pack in the very first kilometer and gradually pulled ahead of all her rivals. In the end, the Finn didn't just win gold — she rewrote the championship record, clocking 2:22:26, nearly three minutes faster than the previous mark set by France's Christelle Daunay, which had stood for 12 years.

Vainio finished almost five minutes ahead of silver medalist Lili Anna Vidits-Tóth of Hungary. Czech runner Tereza Hrochová placed ninth, missing the podium by 41 seconds.

"Not even in my wildest dreams, before or during the race, could I have imagined it would go this well. At the finish line, I was completely stunned," the champion admitted after landing. She confessed she hadn't fully processed her success yet: "I've barely slept, and there hasn't been time to gather my thoughts. My whole body aches, and one of my thigh muscles is completely cramped — today I could hardly even put on a sock," the athlete said.

Marathon Bows Out of the European Championships Program

Vainio's victory also marked the marathon's farewell to the European Championships, as this was the discipline's final appearance in the tournament's lineup. After 2029, the marathon will also disappear from the World Championships program, with plans to establish a separate, standalone event for it.

"Of course, it's a shame. I hope the marathon's prestige can be preserved at a high level. I'd like the new championship to attract the best runners and become a top-tier competition, so that the strongest athletes don't choose commercial marathons over it instead," Vainio said, sharing her hopes for the future.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz