Ilona Mononen

Ilona Mononen

Personal information
Nationality	Finnish
Born	(2003-12-18) 18 December 2003 (age 21)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Long distance running, Steeplechase
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	1500m: 4:14.79 (Joensuu, 2023) 3000m: 9:02.00 (Kuortane, 2023) 5000m: 15:41.82 (Tallinn, 2023) 3000m s'chase: 9:23.28 (Rome, 2024) NR
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Finland European Athletics U20 Championships 2021 Tallinn 3000 m European Cross Country Championships 2024 Antalya U23 race 2023 Brussels U23 race 2022 Turin U20 race

Ilona Mononen (born 18 December 2003) is a Finnish runner. She has won national indoor championship titles over 3000 metres and 5000 metres. She is the Finnish national record holder in the 3000 metres steeplechase.[1]

Career

She won gold at the 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn over 3000 metres aged 17 years-old.[2] At the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi, she finished eighth in the 1500 metres and fifth in the 3000 metres.[3][4]

At the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia she finished eighth again in the 1500 metres and fifth over 3000 metres.[5] She competed in the 5000 metres at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich.[6] At the 2022 European Cross Country Championships in Turin she won bronze in the U20 category in December 2022.[7]

At the 2023 European Cross Country Championships she won silver in the under-23 category in Brussels.[8]

In February 2024, she ran a national record over 3000 metres to win the Nordic Championship.[9]

She ran a national record of 9:23.28 in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome in June 2024.[10] She competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the Women's 3000 metres steeplechase.[11] In December 2024, she won the bronze medal in the U23 race at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey.[12]

References

1. "Ilona Mononen". World Athletics. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
2. "17-year-old Ilona Mononen, who won the EC gold, is a raw girl who rose from an "ok level" to the top of Europe in two years". yle.fi. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
3. "Ilona Mononen Fifth in the 3000 meters of the World Championships - "The group of four started at such a speed that I didn't dare to join them"". hameensanomat. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
4. "World Athletics U20 Championships". World Athletics. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
5. "Ilona Mononen took 2 points from the Junior World Championships". lahdenakhera. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
6. "Klosterhalfen drove the Munich Olympic Stadium wild and capped off a difficult year with 5,000m European Championship gold – Richardsson gave the organizers a thumbs up". ess.fi. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
7. Henderson, Jason (December 11, 2022). "Barnicoat pips Griggs in Euro Cross U20 thriller". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
8. "Megan Keith Wins U23 by a Huge Margin at Brussels European Cross Country". Runners Gazette. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
9. "Hard result in Lahti - Ilona Mononen found a gear and ran PM gold and a Finnish record". ess.fi. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
10. "European Championships". World Athletics. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
11. "Women's 3000m Steeplechase Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
12. "Ingebrigtsen and Battocletti triumph at European Cross Country Championships in Antalya". World Athletics. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.