Antti Tuisku’s training has gone so well that the man who jumped from the music world to a sports career can already be seen on the racetracks at the Imatra Ski Championships.
Jonne Niemeläinen,
Petra Manner
11:49•Updated 11:57
At the beginning of last February, Tuisku, 40, revealed on Urheilustudio’s broadcast that he will become a professional skier and that he intends to participate in the spring 2025 SC skiing. Tuisku also founded his own ski team, AT Ski Team. On Sunday, Tuisku’s team will face the first competition in history in Vuokatti’s Finnish Cup.
AT Ski Team participates in the women’s 3 x 6 kilometer relay team in Vuokatti Emmi Lämsä, Eveliina Toivanen and Vilma Jylhä. In addition to the trio, the AT Ski Team also includes Emmi Henriksson and Olivia Puranen.
Tuisku is in full swing before the first race start.
– I don’t know who is most excited, but yes, I have been excited too. It has been amazing to come here to Vuokatti and witness it for the first time, when the AT Ski Team gets to the slopes there. I have become proud and moved when everything we have planned and done for a long time becomes concrete, Tuisku smiled in an interview with Urheilu.
According to Tuisku, the team’s goals are high before the first race start. A gust of wind excites Sunday’s relay next to the track.
– I would dare to say that this team will definitely fight for a place in the top six. The goal is really realistic. My job is not to put pressure on the athletes, but to support them. We have been camping a lot and I know everyone is healthy. Everyone has been able to do their own exercises exactly as well as they have been able to do. Yes, you can set some expectations here.
Tuisku will be seen in SM skiing already in January
Tuisku has yet to be seen competing in Vuokatti, but the man who jumped from the music world to a sports career will be seen on the racetrack as early as January. According to the original plan, Tuisku was supposed to participate in the SC skiing only in the spring in free skiing, but the man’s mind has changed with the training that went well.
The 2025 World Ski Championships will be held in three parts in Imatra, Vantaa and Taivalkoski. Imatra is skied in January (January 10–12), Vantaa in February (February 8–9) and Taivalkoski in April (April 2–4).
Tuisku has been training hard and according to him, development has taken place.
– I’ve been thinking, when I’ve dug this hole for myself, that I’ll also go skiing in the Imatra SM skiing for the traditional 10. In the first week of April in Taivalkoski, I will then ski in free as if it were my main trip. Now let’s shovel properly. Of course, it’s exciting, because Imatra’s SC skis are coming up pretty quickly, Tuisku elaborated.
Tuisku dared to say out loud his tough goal in Vuokatti. However, everything has to go smoothly in order to achieve the goal.
– Now that I see the kind of development that has taken place, I cautiously dare to set myself the goal that I would reach the top speed of Finnish women in less than half a year. This would be a really, really big deal for me. I never would have thought last spring that I would say something like this out loud.
According to Vilma Jylhä, Tuisku has kept up well with the others in the AT Ski Team’s training.
– Antti has stayed on board very well and has sometimes even passed us, Jylhä commented on Tuisku’s current condition.