Ex-pop star Antti tuisku participated in the 20 km freestyle skiing race in Muurola, Rovaniemi on Easter Sunday. The competition event was organized by Muurola Kisaveikot.
Tuisku, 40, told about his wild skiing project in February. He is seriously aiming for next year’s SC skiing. A fit Tuisku is a familiar sight on the ski slopes, and for example as a training partner of the Finnish national team stars, but becoming a professional skier is of course a completely different matter.
According to his press release, Tuisku has been training for about 20–25 hours a week lately.
Now Tuisku skied the first official timed ski competition of his career. In the past, of course, he has participated, for example, in the Tour de Ski in the final ascent of Alpe Cermis in a race organized for invited guests and fitness enthusiasts.
In XXXVIII Muurola skiing, Tuisku competed in the over 40-year-old men’s series, which had two participants. The winner, Alatornion Pirkkon Janne Kotaniemi won with a time of 1.00.5.1. Tuisku, who represented his own AT Ski Team, lost in 2:43.6, i.e. the time was 1:02:48.7.
The men’s general series was won by Ski Jyväskylä Janne Häkkinen at time 55:08,8. In other series of the competition, the distances were shorter.
– Now we are living in historic moments, namely Antti Tuisku’s first skiing competition after he started this job. There’s a man in a horse shoe arriving at the finish line, let’s give thunderous applause, the announcer of the Muurola Games Juha Mäntykenttä colored
– Ladies and gentlemen, dear audience, Muurola skiing, 38th time, and Antti Tuisku from the journey to the finish line. And this is how the man vents and looks satisfied, having given his all.
At the finish line, Tuisku raised his hands in the air and aired spectacularly before running short to the finish line.
This was the most important thing in the debut race
In its press release, Tuisku says that the participation in the Muurola skiing/Musti Cup race was done in cooperation with the coach. Tuiskua is coached by someone who also worked as the head coach of the Finnish national team Reijo Jylhä – A guy from Rovaniemi known to Tuisku.
– Both felt that now is a good time to include this area in the program. The free 20-kilometer distance of the Muurola skiing/Musti-cup was suitable in length, because this distance was good for testing the ability to distribute forces in a competition-paced performance. The main goal is free skiing, the announcement opens.
Because Tuisku wants to live and train like competitive athletes, competitive performances are part of the normal rhythm. At the same time, Tuisku wants to learn other elements of the competition day, such as refueling, ski testing and opening moves.
– It’s a completely different thing to ski a training run than to experience the preparation related to the competition. In the competition, the excitement of meeting the number tag on the chest and the building of mental preparation brings its own spice. The final result was not important for us today, but the competition itself. Today the weather brought additional challenges, but overall I am satisfied with Antti’s performance, commented coach Jylhä.
Tuisku was satisfied. He says that he was able to carry out the performance according to his plan and the atmosphere is positive.
– In advance, I didn’t want to think about what the end time would be like, but what was essential for me was to face this preparation and especially the excitement. The excitement was not so much about how I would do or what result I would end up with, but about what it would be like to be here among other skiers at the starting line.
– The absolute best gift of the day to myself was meeting young skiers, from whom I got energy for my performance, and I believe that I was able to offer the same to them.
Tuisku said in February that his project aimed at SC skiing is a “senseless project”.
– Certainly the biggest physical and mental trial of my life.
Tuiskua is coached by someone who also worked as the head coach of the Finnish national team Reijo Jylhä – A guy from Rovaniemi known to Tuisku.
– I had already thought a lot during my artist career that I would really like to experience what it is like to be a top athlete. I would like to see and experience it myself, and on the other hand, through my experience, show all Finns what it really requires, Tuisku opened in February.
– I’ve also heard that Antti, you could already go there to compete! That’s really a huge difference. This is a human experiment, where we see what can actually be accomplished in a year.