Jukola’s most talked-out ankle is fine – Miika Kirmula aims for the top places in the first World Sprint Orienteering Championships

One of the top names in the Finnish national orienteering team Miika Kirmula had to skip Jukola’s message over the weekend because of an ankle trouble. According to Kaleva Rast’s number one name, participation in the World Sprint Orienteering Championships starting in Denmark on Sunday is not in danger.

– I’m confident about that. On a flat surface, the foot is not bothered. A broken ankle a couple of years ago has sometimes been bad in the terrain. During Jukola week, it was so bad that it could not run, but there is no problem at the World Championships, Kirmula told Sport.

Kirmula plans to contract all three trips at the World Championships: sprint, knock-out sprint and sprint post. He will not set direct performance goals for the first Sprint World Championships in history.

– There has been a different starting point for these races, when I usually run off-road. However, the Swedish World Cup gave a good indication that the condition is quite good and I can fight for good places. The sprint is very small, where the place spins.

In Sweden, Kirmula reached the final of the knock-out sprint, where she finished sixth, only five seconds behind the winner. The Knock-out Sprint is a cross-country sprint format reminiscent of the cross-country sprint format, with the best progressing from the installments to the finals and finals.

Kirmula has been in a fast-paced sprint mood this spring anyway. In mid-May, the navigator of the Kaleva Cross grabbed the Finnish Championship gold in sprinting.

In his winter and spring training, he has emphasized running on a hard surface, especially in power training, so that the running force needed for sprinting is at its pin.

This year, for the first time, the World Orienteering Championships will be held with a new model. Sprint and forest trips have been separated into their own World Championships, which compete every other year.

This summer we will be competing in sprinting, next summer in Switzerland on medium and long distances and in posts. The same arrangement is used in the European Championships, but as a mirror image, so that value competitions are offered both in sprint and in forest trips every year. Kirmula considers the arrangement good.

– It allows you to invest fully in either sprint or off-road. Before it was balancing, when everyone was in the same races in the same year, Kirmula said.

– Cross-country trips are still my favorite. But I would like to run a sprint in the future. I keep it with me all the time.

Sweden’s overwhelming pre-favorite at the World Cup in Denmark is Sweden Tove Alexandersson, who won literally everything at the 2021 World Cup. Astronomer grabbed gold from every trip: the women’s sprint, the medium distance, the long distance, the message, and even the sprint mixed message. Alexandersson skipped Venlo’s message this year to be in the best possible attack in Denmark.

On the men’s side, the competition is smoother. Hard names include Norway, for example Kasper FosserSwitzerland Matthias KyburzNew Zealand Tim RobertsonSweden Gustav Bergman and Belgium Yannick Michiels.

Nine years have passed since the Finns’ previous sprint medals at the World Championships. Mårten Boström won gold and Venla Harju silver in the 2013 home games.

shows competitions on TV2 and Arena. Sunday 26.6. at 18.15 sprint message, Tuesday 28.6. at 6:25 p.m., knock-out sprint and Thursday, June 30th. at 18.35 sprint.