Buffalo, NY - Something happened at SUNY Fredonia on the 18th of February, that hadn't happened since Adam Helman (Grand Island) did so in 2009. A High School boy cleared the 15-foot bar in the Pole Vault in Section 6.
His name is Anton Kunnas of North Tonawanda, and his clearance made him the outright State Leader in the event. His clearance of 15-3 bettered the previous State Leading mark of 15-0 by junior Colin Duigan (Fordham Prep), and also surpassed any mark set last year by a member of the Empire State. Kunnas is a senior at the Buffalo-Area school, and his name may be unfamiliar to those in New York. But it isn't unfamiliar across the pond.
Kunnas is a foreign exchange student from his native Finland. There, he competed for his local track club, where he has vaulted, among other events. The 15-3 clearance matches his Outdoor best from Kajaani, Finald last spring. The nickname, "The Flying Finn," is usually reserved for Paavo Nurmi, one of the most famous distance runners of all time, with 22 World Records over his career. However, the nickname would be fitting Kunnas too, as he approaches the Section Record in the event.
The current Section 6 Record is held by Dan Tierney of Clarence, set at 15-10.5 in 2004. Kunnas now holds the second best mark ever from Section 6 Indoors, with a big competition ahead of him at the State Meet (supposing he is successful at his State Qualifier on the 25th).
