After his wild fall, the value competition debutant was already getting back on his feet and continuing his journey, when he noticed that he couldn’t place any weight on his left leg at all.
Erä-Veikkoin of Kuusamo Arsi Ruuskanen On February 24, 2022, he won the under-23 World Championship gold in 15 kilometers (p) in Lygna, Norway. But he only became a name on the lips of the skiing people almost a year later in the combined competition of the World Championships in Planica.
Last February 22nd, Ruuskanen drove off the track at a speed of more than 50 kilometers per hour and slammed his left leg with enormous force into advertising poles and fences, which could not even have been located at the exit site due to safety reasons.
Haavei’s World Cup debut turned into a pain shock that threatened consciousness. Ruuskanen was brought from the countryside by snowmobile, and from Ahkio the journey continued towards the local hospital. The Ski Association’s doctor also went there Janne Pesonen. A few days later, an early trip home was waiting.
The TV didn’t film
Over the course of eight months, Ruuskanen has recovered from his injuries and reached full training condition after the crash that ended the competition season like a wall. Even though there is footage of practically everything nowadays, Ruuskanen hasn’t gotten hold of any since his fall.
– I have never seen any recording of the event. The TV didn’t catch it and apparently no one else did either. If there was one, I think I would have gotten it somehow. I would love to see it, the skier, who remembers the situation well, told the media conference of the national skiing team in Helsinki on Monday.
– I was actually getting up already and felt if the skis and poles were intact. But then I couldn’t stay on my feet.
Ruuskanen recalled what happened already in the spring in public, but until now he had not wanted to reveal the exact quality of his injury.
– Strand damage was found in a couple of places in the muscle of the left side. In practice, the muscles of the side legs were therefore torn. We progressed through rehabilitation, first on the bike and slowly on our feet. The mental side of the rehabilitation was good. However, it was quite quick to get involved in various activities.
Ruuskanen was not really one of the most famous athletes of the Finnish team in Planica. The then 23-year-old athlete now recalls his return from the World Championships with amusement. The Ski Federation did not want to tell the media the young man’s flight schedule, but first at Ruuskanen Airport in his home country dazzled by the flash lights.
– It’s great that skiing is of interest, but I would have liked to have become known to the Finnish people in some other way, Ruuskanen laughed.