400 meter hurdler Kristiina Halonen says what comes to mind. He believes it might reflect his Russian background.
Kaleva Games in Vaasa 27.–30.6. follows the events moment by moment in this article.
VAASA.
– Jahas, Hilla immediately threw under the bus!
Kristiina Halonen the answer to the first question perfectly reflects the young woman’s personality. The 26-year-old 400-meter hurdler sometimes likes to have a twinkle in his eye.
Halonen is in the position of a sort of mouthpiece for his species. Hilla Uusimäki sign a statement about his rival.
Halonen, who heard about this, wants to give back to his roommate at the foreign camps.
– Hilla threw me under the bus, Halonen repeats after the interview, the athletics coach Anne Suoranna.
“Russians don’t have the nerve to say it directly”
Halonen will have a tough fight with Uusimäki for the championship this weekend. Both have hit record speeds this season, Halonen 55.62 and Uusimäki 55.80.
In Finland’s all-time statistics, they are ranked fourth and fifth.
Halonen wonders for a moment if he has the personality that Uusimäki sees in him.
– It’s hard to say that about yourself. At least I’m quite different from the speeders. I wouldn’t compare myself to them. I’m on Junti’s side, while they’re more social stars.
– I’m an elephant in a china shop. I can’t keep my mouth shut. I just say what comes to mind.
Halonen’s mother is born in Russia.
– Many say that my personality comes from the fact that I am half Russian. Russians have no shyness to say things directly.
A model of high-speed skimmers?
The women’s 100-meter hurdles is one of the most TV-friendly sports in athletics. Of course, the paddlers go hard, but there are also interesting types in the sport who have branded themselves on social media.
In terms of sports, the women’s 400 meter hurdles is also at a really good level in terms of Finns. Viivi Lehikoinen is fine when spearheaded, but the squad is wide.
For example, at the European Championships in Rome, Finland had a full representation of three athletes. Lehikoinen and Halonen reached the semi-finals.
– Even sports people in Finland haven’t noticed how good the level is. Those are times when gold would have been taken years ago.
– We are starting to be close to the level of fast fences. Three runners in the European Championships. If everything went smoothly, it would have been possible to get three Finnish runners to Paris, says Uusimäki.
Uusimäki realizes that the athletes of the sport could learn from the way of fast paddlers.
– You could take a model from the fast swimmers. That way, the sport would be better presented if there were more featured personalities.
On the other hand, being exposed is not natural for everyone.
– You have to be yourself. However, I think Kristiina has potential for that. He sometimes makes good throws in interviews, Uusimäki laughs.
Set
Halonen himself doesn’t really get fired up about social media.
– We are all the ones on the track tour who don’t really make a sound about themselves. We are not active on social media, because there you can create a backdrop. It doesn’t matter what level of athlete it is.
– That way you can create hype. For example, if you want a lot of congratulations for a good performance, you should put something on Facebook. If it doesn’t work, you only get congratulations from those who really care about you.
Halonen does not feel that he can be authentic on social media.
– It’s not a natural place, because it’s hard for me to be inauthentic there. For elite athletes, social media is of course a great opportunity.
The women’s 400-meter final is scheduled for the Kaleva Games on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.
Kaleva Games in Vaasa 27.–30.6. follows the events moment by moment in this article.