FINNISH SPRINTER SETS NEW FINNISH 60M RECORD BUT IS UNLIKELY TO COMPETE IN
LISBON

A huge new Finnish SENIOR 60m record was set in the Finnish U23 indoor
championships in Kuopio today when Tuomas Näsi ran 6.59 sec to win the
title.

Tuomas Näsi started off this season with a personal best of 6.85 secs but
at the Senior Finnish Champiopnships on 17th February in Oulu ran 6.78(ht)
and then 6.72 in the final to finish second behind Samsa Tuikka's 6,69
national record equallying win -  Turo Merilainen had first established the
old mark of 6.69sec in 1990.

However, Näsi will presumably not compete in Lisbon at the World
championships as the official entry deadline has now passed. In any 
case when the original Finnish team was announced earlier this 
week despite the fact that three other sprinters - one man and two 
women - had achieved the IAAF qualification marks only one athlete
was named as a participant, Timo AALTONEN the reigning European
Indoor shot champion.

(Aaltonen was originally the silver medallist in Gent but took the European
title after Aleksander Bagach UKR was banned for doping)

Tuomas Näsi -
DOB - 14/10/79
Club - Helsinki's main club - Helsingin Kisa-Veikot (HKV) 
100m PB 10.45 sec 2000.
2000 - Finnish 100m champion (10.55sec)

NB.There was a record entry to this year's Finnish U23 champs of over 700
athletes.