The sprinter, who has recovered from a tendon tear, is back at a good pace, even though he spent the spring and winter in a swimming pool. The thoughts are already on the 2024 European Championships in Rome.
Last summer, I ran 20.45 in the 200m SE time Samuel Purolan the starting points for the outdoor track season looked excellent in winter. Purola ran the indoor record of 20.93 in Växjö, Sweden on January 20, although the tight curves of the indoor track are not suitable for the nearly 100-kilogram sprinter.
But that was the end of Purola’s reign like a wall. The man returned to the Games on his main trip almost to the day, five months after the Växjö competition, when he ran in Poland with a time of 21.02. On Sunday in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, Purola already ran a time of 20.75 against a 1.3 meters per second headwind, the fourth fastest clocking of his career.
The result is excellent, taking into account the peripheral conditions, because after the Växjö indoor games, things happened that Purola has not previously wanted to talk about in public. The spring-winter was spent with a very low profile and far from where the athlete would have liked to spend his time.
– The indoor season ended with the diagnosis of a tendon rupture above the kneecap in my left leg, i.e. on the side of the inside arch. The injury had apparently occurred even weeks before the symptoms began.
Although the tear was not massive – just a few strands – the doctor’s order for Purola, known as a passionate trainer, was blunt: no running steps.
– I didn’t run at all for about two months. The tendon had to be completely healthy before I could start training, recalled Purola, who practically missed running training in February and March.
In the wading pool
– At the beginning of April I was able to run, first with sneakers and at the end of the month for the first time with spikes.
During her convalescence, Purola was a familiar sight on the water running tracks of the swimming hall. In the boxing gym, he worked out to develop his upper body.
– Water running was quite nice at first, but of course it slowly got worse.
Purola will next compete in his own club’s Oulu Pyrinnön gp in his hometown on July 8. The direct result limit of the World Championships in Budapest is a wild 20.16, of which 23 athletes had performed by Monday in the so-called nationality-corrected (three athletes/country and reigning world champion) statistics.
A total of 48 runners will be screened for the trip based on the result limit and ranking points. Purola does not consider the place realistic.
– Budapest hasn’t really been on my mind. The thoughts are already directed towards next year and the European Championships in Rome and the Olympic Games in Paris, says Purola, who has already represented Finland at the European Championships in 2018 and 2022.
“Infinitely dangerous”
Purola did not see Sunday night’s Diamond League live from Stockholm, but on Monday he watched the highlights of the event. The most attention was gathered by the demonstrators who demanded the restoration of the dried marshes, who appeared on the track in the path of the 400-meter hurdlers at the end of the race. The sight horrified Purola.
– Extremely dangerous. Yes, it falls short if you try it separately. Such a situation is very dangerous for both parties, because even an athlete who is dodging can be seriously injured at those speeds.