“It had quite a bit of mental work”

In the Kupittaa Athletics Hall in Turku, one would not believe that a cheerful laugh Wilma Murron the early part of the year has been one of the most difficult periods of my career. The pole vaulter broke his fifth metatarsal, the outer bone of the foot, at the end of January as he fell into a pit in a race in France.

During a couple of months of rehabilitation, however, Murto was able to train as a coach Jarno Koivusen with guidance in a surprisingly versatile way – as long as the foot stays in every movement in the air.

– Koivunen is quite adept at inventing a stimulus for the feet. One of the biggest things in the rehabilitation phase is that your feet stay awake. Then, when the foot lasts for the bones, there is a willingness to start doing normal exercises, Murto says.

The fracture lifts an extra 30 pounds of weight on her hips, puts her hands on the bar and pulls her chin above the bar without any problems. Not quite record numbers, but almost. Upper body strength levels are in good condition.

The injury felt particularly bad for 23-year-old Murros because he believed he was in the best shape of his life. So even better than last August, when he jumped to the new Finnish record of 472 at the Tampere Kaleva Games.

– We were both there in the French Games with our eyes round, that now we can go pretty well. The same feeling came from those race jumps before the foot crashed into the pit. The feeling was really good. It was quite a mental job to accept that we were in good shape and suddenly not.

Construction of the condition back to the level of four months ago is still in progress. However, spring tests show that progress has been rapid.

– Yes, I’m behind schedule. Normally, after the middle of May, it is already quite hot and ready for the race. Now it is clear that the basic fitness season still weighs in the birds that it is not quite like Fressi. I still start to be excited that the point will soon be able to compete, Murto says.

Murto has been counterbalanced by his studies in journalism at Turku University of Applied Sciences since last autumn. Working with the media has become familiar to the junior star in recent years, and enthusiasm for the industry has also grown.

– You have to be able to balance everyday life and keep your priorities so that you only have one sports career, and that is now. That that study doesn’t eat it from athletic doing. At school, I get to try everything related to the media field and feel what I think would be big.

Murto, who reached fifth at last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo, is also the Finnish team’s hope for success at the Eugene World Championships in July and the Munich European Championships in August.

The European Championships are Murro’s main goal for the season, as his chances of success are better. Not only is it easier to schedule the peak condition for the rest of the summer, especially considering the starting points of the spring, the hard-working Americans, the dominant Olympic winner, are missing from the European Championships, among other things. Katie Nageotte and a five-meter woman Sandi Morris.

– The World Cup is always the World Cup, so it is by no means just an intermediate goal. The hard result is there too to try to do. It is possible to have good races in both, because there is a suitable break in between, coach Jarno Koivunen says.

Both the World Championships and the European Championships are held without a reigning world champion Anzhelika Sidorovaa, as Russian athletes have been barred from international competition due to Russia ‘s war of aggression in Ukraine. Sidorova was number one in statistics last season with a result of 501.

The breakthrough often coincides with the twisting of Belarus Irina Zhukia not for the same reason seen in the summer championships. With the removal of Russian and Belarusian jumpers from last summer’s European statistics, the Murron 472 will suffice for the fourth place in the statistics.

The Russians and Belarusians make Murron pensive.

– It’s pretty contradictory. As individuals, I have nothing against anyone. However, they are familiar rivals and nice mimes. As such, it is annoying that athletes are out there. Of course I would like to compete where all the best is in place, Murto says.

Last August’s Kaleva Games were a kind of turning point in Murro’s career. The Finnish record of 471, which he jumped at the age of 17, finally went down in history, after more than five years, when Murto crossed the bar one cent higher.

– The record was first three, then four, then five years… When it was finally broken, I proved to myself that it was no harm then, but it can do it again. It relieved a lot of pressure for many years and felt a lot lighter.

A lot has been expected of the break since the junior years – after all, his previous record of 471 is still a valid world record for under-20s.

Now Murto would like to raise his base level to a record high.

– I wish that it would not be 470 once in the summer, but that it would be able to be forged several times. That would be a clear upgrade for me. Last summer, it was like it was 472 not the maximum. And always the next tenth number, 480, is interesting, of course, Murto laughs.

Koivunen hopes that Murro’s development curve will continue to move steadily upwards.

– It would be nice if we didn’t have to wait another five years to record. If the average of the top five races were 470 then you know that summer has gone pretty well. A few spikes when it came to the right place, it would be perfect, Koivunen says.

According to Jarno Koivunen, Murto is already physically close to its peak condition, but it is only in the early summer that the races tell where they are really going. Murto, who represents Salon Vilpa, is expected to start his season at the Espoo GP on June 8.

– The physical condition is starting to be very close to the time of the hallway. Getting in good shape again is easier than doing it the first time. It was not shown during the reign. There are so many variables in the pole vault that of course it requires the use of a few races and a few big poles before it starts rolling, Koivunen says.