Athletics Championship halls in Tampere on Saturday 17.2. at 12:20 Areena and at 16:15 TV2 and Sunday 18.2. at 11:45 Areena and at 16:10 TV2
Reetta Hurskeen The main goal of this winter’s indoor season is still the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, which will be organized from 1.–3. March. The competition limit for MM halls is 8.02 in high speed fences. The limit has been breached at Suomalaitähti, because the period between 1.1.2023–18.2.2024 is approved as the profit limit.
For Hurske, Sunday’s 60-meter hurdle race at Pirkkahalli in Tampere’s SM halls is the opening of the season. The heat and the final are his first race starts since a violent crash a week and a half ago in Torun, Poland, where the race ended at the second fence.
– It’s nice that you don’t get to sleep at home, when otherwise there are quite a lot of those traveling kilometers during the year. Of course, there is always its own kind of excitement to compete in the home hall, in front of the home crowd, Hurske thinks.
On February 7, Hurske got off to a great start in the heats of the 60-meter hurdles in Poland and came in first at the first fence. When crossing the second fence, his back leg hit the fence. Hurske lost his balance and fell violently on his face Further towards the third fence.
– Preparation for the SM halls has been varied for me. After the fall of Poland, I have visited the hall to test how the legs are holding up. However, now the situation is good and this week I have been able to do some decent training.
The worst bastard of my career
The Finnish sprinter’s leg wound required seven stitches in Poland.
– There have been all kinds of familiarity here, every day a little different. The biggest problem is the tightening of the stitches and that wound has to be taken into account. Other bruises are reasonably ok. For a long time, my jaw was sore after that realization.
Hurske says that the fall in Poland was something that might happen to him in training, although of course he doesn’t always fall in those situations. They are things that belong to hurdles, and there is nothing miraculous about them.
– It was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Even though my long fence career ended at the last fence in this hall once, when I was so upset at 300 meters. Then my leg just failed me, and I couldn’t get over the fence either. However, it wasn’t so bad when there wasn’t much speed, Hurske says and reveals at the same time that for him, it’s not inevitable to see a 400-meter hurdles race on outdoor tracks.
On the mental side, Reetta Hurskee’s worst blow has been that the plans at the beginning of the year were completely changed after the bruises. At this point, he should have already had five races and ten starts under him, but now he has only one start and an interruption of the run.
– This is again the opening of the season for me, because the indoor season was shorter than planned. The goals were really high and of course they still are, but the starting point is no longer ideal for this (the halls’) final season. There are three races left, I’m trying to get results from them, Hurske states.
A year ago, when Hurske left for the SM halls, he knew what his condition was and what kind of races lay ahead. Then nothing will surprise you anymore.
– Now the starting point is different, but you can no longer come here to run basic races. The goal is of course to run really hard. We’ll see how it comes out on Sunday. I hope to get good results on the board.
Hurskee’s previous competition year, 2023, was heavy in terms of load and the indoor season was long in terms of competitions. A wonderful last winter culminated in Hurskee’s 60-meter hurdles European championship. He was unstoppable a year ago during the Halli period and improved the Finnish record in the 60-meter hurdles several times. Now the SE time is 7.79.
At the same time, Hurske also won EC gold in the EC halls in Istanbul. On the outdoor tracks, Hurske ran 12.70 in the 100 meter hurdles last June.
No eight-second times
– I want to run harder than last year’s opening race. In any case, I don’t want to run for eight second times. Yes, that time should be closer to 7.90, says Hurske.
A year ago, Hurske ran the 60-meter hurdles at the opening of the winter competition season in Tampere with a time of 7.95.
After two starts in the WC halls, Tampere’s Pyrinnön speed skater will only compete in Spain’s Madrid on February 23 before the WC halls in Glasgow on March 3.
For many Finnish general athletes, the talk is mostly about next summer’s European Championships and the Olympics. In Hurske’s case, there is also one tough goal in between: World Cup halls.
– WC-Glasgow is of course my main goal in the reign, but the most important thing now is to get starts and runs under. From there, things take off.
– The value races are always a bit of their own story when there are three starts on the same day. How everyone deals with it, then it will only become clear on the spot, Hurske reflects.