Lkka Herola, who finished second in Otepää, is currently enjoying jumping.
21:05•Updated 21:28
The criticized competition format and the first podium place of the season. This was not the first time Ilkka Herolan in mind when he finished in 20th place after the ski leg of the combined start race in Otepää, Estonia.
On the Otepää track, skiing was a hot tub from the beginning. The competition format in question, where you ski first and then jump, was already on the program during the opening weekend of the season in Ruka. The biggest problem was the racetrack, which was not really made for a joint start.
– At that point, it was logical to save the hill section and thinking about tomorrow’s (Sunday) race, Herola said.
– It is clear that every push that is made there will be gone tomorrow. When it was clear that there was no point in finishing fifth or 20th, that’s how we finished. The end result was really good.
In a great jumping mood
The competition format in question is not for Herola. The joint start race favors the better jumpers, because the ski section that starts the race usually does not create significant differences. Herola is known as a better skier.
Jumping in Otepää has worked great for Herola, however, so he started the hill section with confidence. In the evening, the Finn stretched out a 98.5-meter jump on the hill.
– Of course, the conditions were interesting today, but in any case, with a fairly basic performance, that result was reached, Herola acknowledged.
– During the Christmas break, we were able to jump in free exercises in Kuopio. Here, right from the first jump, there was no need to try anything on the hill. It feels like jumping is getting better all the time. Oh with water without much control.
Herola makes a tasty statement about its hillbilly.
– Of course, this is the best possible situation. During my career, I haven’t had this kind of feeling competing in the winter time many times. In the summer GP, there have mostly been such feelings. But it doesn’t hurt at all.
Herola says he knew there were opportunities for a top result.
The competition was won by Austria Johannes Lamparter.
– I knew that today it would require enough luck. The situation certainly ruined many races. I’m not that surprised by my own performance, but the general level was a bit lower today. Lamparter had a really great performance today and deserved his win. Otherwise, the execution was quite fickle for many.
I don’t like the competitive format
The prize winner does not change Herola’s attitude towards the competition format.
– If we had gone to the piste after those jumps, it would have been great to ski in the lead.
– I still don’t find skiing very sporty on such a track. If I finished in 20th place and was nine seconds from the front, the finishing order in the top 20 didn’t matter at all.
Sunday’s race is skied on the same normal hill using the Gundersen method, i.e. first you jump and then you ski. Based on Herola’s current jumping mood, Sunday’s race is becoming interesting from a Finnish perspective.
– Of course, it’s a really nice feeling to go compete when you know that things are in order and the potential is there. An athlete cannot wish for a better situation than that.