Danish Olympic hope Andreas Bube was impressive in the 800 metre semi-final of the European Track and Field Championships yesterday evening, using a stunning finish to book his place in the final in Helsinki.
The runner from Bagsværd, who is has been nicknamed “the New Kipketer” after former Danish/Kenyan 800 metre Olympic legend Wilson Kipketer, is now a 15/2 outsider to win the gold in the final today according to Danish betting service Oddset.
Bube found himself in the middle of the pack going into the last turn, but a powerful finish on the inside lane saw him passing the competition and finishing first in a time of 1:48.48 minutes.
Bube’s time was far from his personal best of 1:44.99 minutes, but it is the first time that he has qualified for a final at one of the big outdoor championships.
Danish shot put hope Kim Christensen qualified for the finals in even more dramatic fashion. Christensen was the last man of his qualifying group, but tossed up a 19.69 metre beauty on his final throw to place him third in his semi-final group.
While Bube has already qualified to the Olympic games in London this summer, Christensen needs a throw over 20.00 metres to qualify. He threw a 20.06 at the Copenhagen Games earlier this year, but because the Danish tournament is not an approved Olympic qualifying event, Christensen is still on the hunt for the 20.00 metre throw.
The 800 meter final is scheduled to begin at 18:40. Christensen will also be in action on Friday when the shot put final starts at 20:20 and being shown on the same channel.
The European Championships in Helsinki this year marks the first time that the athletic championships moved to a two-year-cycle, a move that has been questioned due to the race’s proximity to the Olympics.
The 800 metre and shot put finals take place on Friday evening and can be seen on DR2. The 800 metre final is scheduled to begin at 18:40 while the shot put final starts at 20:20.
