Jon Sallisle, one of Finland’s potential medal hopes at the next Winter Olympics, has a long rehabilitation period ahead of him.
This season, in the overall competition of the freestyle halfpipe world cup, he finished handsomely in third place Jon Sallinen23, had his season come to an abrupt end when he injured his knee during a practice run at the Dew Tour in Colorado.
The anterior cruciate ligament and lateral cruciate ligament were torn from Sallinen’s knee. He says that a competition was held in that place the day before, during which the pipe felt challenging.
– It felt like it threw from the right arc to the soles. You had to be careful when you put in the effort. When I fell, I felt good in the air, and I didn’t think anything special about the jump.
– I must have put in too much effort and got on the second ski badly. I fell on my knee and it folded all the way inside, says Sallinen.
Sallinen says that it is the most serious injury of his career.
– When I was younger, I coped well. The left collarbone is broken, but nothing as big as this knee, he says.
Not jeopardizing the Olympic dream
Sallinen will have to take a long break from training and competition. Recovery from a torn cruciate ligament may take up to nine months after surgery.
His brightest short-term goal is the 2026 Olympics, which is still plenty of time away.
– Together with the physiotherapist and the doctor, we have planned that we will try to get the leg in shape before the surgery. We try to make it as good as possible. I haven’t set any goals yet for when I should come back. In a couple of years, the Olympics will be the big goal.
However, the season that ended for Salli was successful overall. In the last two World Cup races in Calgary, he reached the podium.
– I was really satisfied with the World Cup competitions, because I ended up third in the overall competition. I was able to be at the top level throughout the season. I believe that I will return to that level, says Sallinen.