Sisters who are tops in two different sports – figure skater Linnea Ceder admires her little sister’s attitude | Sport

The EC figure skating competitions will be held in Tallinn on January 29. – 2.2. broadcasts the competitions on its channels TV2 and Areena.

17-year-old figure skating license Linnea Ceder thought in January 2020 that he would soon be able to experience the great atmosphere of value competitions again. He had just finished 12th in his EC debut in Graz, Austria.

The next year’s games were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, after which Ceder’s return was delayed by other setbacks.

The 22-year-old Ceder hasn’t been seen at the prestigious races for five years.

– I have been injured a lot. I had a stress fracture in my lower back, which completely sidelined me for one season. I had to go seven months without jumping. Last season was spent rehabilitating it. It has been really challenging years, says Ceder.

– I’ve been thinking about it myself, how I’ve managed to get through all that shit. It has been really hard mentally.

Now everything is in order. Ceder has skated close to his record this season, even the best points of his career in the free program.

Ceder, who skated to silver in December’s WC, was chosen to represent Finland at the European Championships, which begin on Wednesday in Tallinn with a short program competition. Finland’s second representative in women’s single skating is 17 years old Janna Jyrkinen.

– After all, I have developed a lot in five years and I can improve my ranking (12th). I wish I had that “wow” feeling this time too. It’s great to get to the European Championship, says Ceder.

A lot of Finnish fans are expected at the Tallinn hall. Ceder’s family also travels to the place to cheer. Elle Ceder18, has followed her older sister’s sports career with pride.

– It’s been a roller coaster ride. It has taught me that sports are many emotions. I myself have shed a couple of tears when Linnea has suffered injuries after injuries.

– But then it’s been great to see when Linnea has always persistently gotten back up, says Elle Ceder.

Elle Ceder is herself an exceptional talent in her own sport. Last summer, she ran to the semi-finals of the under-20 World Championships in the 800 meters with a record time of 2:05.36, which only three Finnish women of junior age have run faster than.

The sisters have become independent because of competitive sports at a young age: Elle moved from her childhood home in Kerava to Helsinki when she was already in middle school. Living together, first with an older brother and now with an older sister, has gone well.

– It has developed from a sibling relationship to the fact that Linnea is my best friend. Even if there is an argument sometimes, I like to spend time with the other person, says Elle.

Linnea also feels that the four-year age difference seems to have narrowed.

– For a really long time, Elle was a little sister to me that I took care of. There’s really no need to worry these days. Now caring sometimes even goes the other way, says Linnea.

Figure skating and middle distance running don’t have much in common when you think about it. One is a precise judging sport, while in the other the value of the performance is determined by the stopwatch and the race to reach the finish line.

On the other hand, both are tough individual sports that require good oxygen uptake and lactate tolerance.

– Linnea just has to cover that grimace when she starts to acidify in the four-minute free program, Elle laughs.

Linnea and Elle excitedly follow each other’s careers. They often don’t have time to exchange information until late at night at the dining table.

The sisters haven’t let themselves off the hook at school either. Both dream of studying medicine, but it may not be time for them until after their sports careers.

If everything goes according to plan, the sisters will part ways in just over a year. Elle graduates from Mäkelänrinte high school and would like to continue her running career at university in the United States.

– I’ve already talked to a few coaches and looked at which schools could be good, Elle says.

Elle has received a good role model for her sports career in Linnea, but the older sister has also learned from the younger one. Ellen’s uncompromising attitude to training has impressed Linnea, who describes herself as more comfortable.

– It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, or what time it is, if there’s a workout that needs to be done, Elle will do it anyway. He runs a half-marathon even in terrible weather.

– I have received a bit of the same discipline in my own sport, which maybe wasn’t so much before. What he does is very fastidious and determined, Linnea says.