According to coach Santeri Erola, it is still uncertain how long rehabilitation will take.
Micke Suopuro,
Anni Jämsä
Cross-country skier Eveliina Piippo has to leave in the middle of the season due to injury.
Piippo, 25, broke his back when he slipped on the stairs this past week. Due to the injury, skiing is not possible for the next six weeks.
– I cannot comment on the injury in more detail, because it is about the athlete’s health information. It is not yet known exactly how long rehabilitation will take. It is likely that there will be no more skiing races this season, Piipo’s coach Santeri Erola commented to Urheilu.
Piipo’s current season has been challenging. Piippo competed in the World Cup only four times. His best time was 10 kilometers of freestyle skiing in Östersund, when he was 16th.
– In a way, the season has been difficult. There were already challenges in the training season. After returning to the World Cup, my skiing condition was good for a while, but then there have been more difficult stretches in terms of training. It is necessary to analyze the whole season in more detail and make plans for the future with spring in mind, Erola described.
My back has also been bothering me before
Piipo has had back problems before. The stinging algae radiation that had been bothering my back for several years and also affected other parts of the body had turned into a pain during 2020 that was not going away.
– I was at the point where I couldn’t sleep at night and I couldn’t stand or sit, Piippo told in 2021.
In January 2021, a diaphragm bulge was cut from Piipo’s back.
Succeeded last season
Last season, Piippo emerged at the adult international level. At the World Championships, he was fifteenth in the 15 kilometer combined race, sixteenth in the 10 kilometer freestyle competition and fourth in the relay.
In the World Cup, he was 10th in the 50 km race at Holmenkollen in Oslo. This is Piipo’s best ranking in the World Cup.