Saara Keskitalo

Saara Keskitalo

Personal information
Born	(2000-07-03) 3 July 2000 (age 25) China
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Hurdles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	60m hurdles: 8.03 s (2025) 100m hurdles: 12.81 s (2025)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing   Finland Summer World University Games 2025 Bochum 100m hurdles

Saara Keskitalo (born 3 July 2000) is a Finnish hurdler. She was Finnish 60 metres hurdles champion in 2025 and 2025 Summer World University Games champion over 100 metres hurdles. ^[1]

Career

She reached the semi-finals of the women's 100 metres hurdles at the 2018 World Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. ^[2]

Competing at the delayed 2021 University Games in Chengdu, China in August 2023, Keskitalo set a personal best of 13.17 in the semifinals before placing sixth overall in the final with a time of 13.32 seconds. ^[3]

In 2024, Keskitalo finished third in the 100 metres hurdles at the Kaleva Games. ^[4] The following month, she broke 13 seconds for the first time for the 100 metres hurdles and moved to fifth on the Finnish all-time list with a time of 12.84 in Joensuu. ^{[5] [6]}

In January 2025, she improved her personal best for the 60 metres hurdles from 8.22 seconds to 8.11 and then 8.03 seconds. ^[7] She won the Finnish Indoor Athletics Championships over 60 metres hurdles in February 2025. ^[8] She subsequently competed for Finland at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. ^[9]

She won the gold medal in the 100 metres hurdles at the 2025 World University Games in Germany, winning with a time of 12.88 seconds. ^{[10] [11]} She was a semi-finalist at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. ^{[12] [13]}

Personal life

Keskitalo was born in China, but was adopted by Finnish parents, Jukka and Marja, at the age of eleven months old. She spent her childhood in Jyväskylä and Helsinki, and has two sisters. In 2020, her parents moved to Oulu, where father serves as a Diocesan bishop but Keskitalo stayed in Helsinki to study at Mäkelänrinne Sports High School. She is a member of Espoo Tapioti and is studying at the University of Helsinki. ^{[14] [11]}

References

1. "Saara Keskitalo". World Athletics. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
2. "Saara Keskitalo qualified for the World Championships semi-finals – "I was quite nervous before the run"". yle.fi. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
3. "Saara Keskitalo is in great shape at the Universiade". yle.fi. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
4. "Aituri Saara Keskitalo finished her season in second place". yle.fi. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
5. "Saara Keskitalo ran wildly, Reetta Hurske made rude insinuations". Suomiurheilu.com. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
6. "Oliver Helander had to settle for 76.38 and sixth place – a huge improvement on Saara Keskitalo's record in the 100 meter hurdles". yle.fi. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
7. "Elmo Lakka showed off his strong early season form in Luxembourg - Saara Keskitalo at record pace". etusuora.com (in Finnish). 19 Jan 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
8. "Finnish Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
9. "Saga Vanninen, who won the European Championship gold in the show jumping style, received her medal - here's everything from the European Indoor Championships". yle.fi. 9 March 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
10. "Saara Keskitalo wins Universiade gold in the rapid fences – a three-medal day for Finland". yle.fi. 25 July 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
11. "Saara Keskitalo voitti kultaa Saksassa – myös kaksi muuta mitalia Suomeen". atleetti.fi (in Finnish). 26 July 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
12. "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
13. "Federation completed the squad for the World Championships in Tokyo: the back door to the World Championships is still open for a couple of athletes". yle.fi. 28 August 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
14. "Adopted as a baby". yle.fi. 22 September 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2025.