Ilkka Herola finished second in the competition he criticized! See how the risky game of the Finnish coaching succeeded – the World Cup medalist roared with joy

Ilkka Herola nailed the top jump from Otepää’s normal hill and took second place despite the joint start race.

Ilkka Herola got on the podium in the combined world cup competition in Otepää. Herola skied 98.5 meters on the HS97 hill and came second in the final results.

In Otepää, there was a competition on Saturday with a criss-crossed competition format. First, we skied 10 kilometers together. Herola was only in 20th place on Saturday after the skiing competition.

The last competition in this form was at the season opener in Ruka. At the time, Herola stated that it made no sense.

Now, however, Herola got to shine after his top jump. Only Austria Johannes Lamparter was louder.

Several of the sport’s brightest stars were missing from the competition, such as Norway Jarl Magnus Riiber, Germany’s Vincenzo Geiger and Johannes Rydzek.

Herola’s top jump was preceded by a tactical move by the Finnish coaching staff, when the coaching staff decided to lower the bar by one notch. It became 4.5 extra points.

– It was a risky game and it worked great, Urheilu’s expert Petter Kukkonen glowed in the newsroom.

The jump was one of the best of Herola’s career in a competitive situation.

Kukkonen, who ended his long career as the head coach of the combined national team last season, emphasized that Herola’s jumping technique shines with freedom and relaxation.

– An athlete’s self-confidence keeps growing and growing, Kukkonen said.

– It’s a pleasure to see such performances from Ilu. Christmas break and good home cooking have done good again.

This winter, Herola will defend his World Cup silver from two years ago in the normal hill and 10 km skiing competition. The top prize was Herola’s first this season. He had last been on the podium in December 2021.

In any case, the competition was successful in Finnish terms. Eero Hirvon too jumped his best jump of the weekend and was seventh in the final results. Kukkonen is Hirvonen’s personal coach.

Kukkonen praises the solutions of Finland’s current coaching management after a difficult December.

– There was a lot of bad luck and illnesses. Now the situation has been dared to calm down. The athletes are healthy. Good home practice has been done. Hopefully, these are the first signs of what will be seen this season. Even if there were no such fireworks, we would be able to manage. Also when Riiber and partners come along, Kukkonen stated.