One of the top names in Finland Leevi Mutrun the medical history of the last few years was continued when he was diagnosed with pericarditis in an extensive magnetic resonance imaging of the heart on Tuesday. On Sunday in Kuopio, Mutru won another WC bronze Ilkka Herolan and Walter to Karhumaan after. Now the season is over, and the World Championships in Planica remained a dream.
– I have had the flu on both sides of the turn of the year, and after the latter flu I had an EKG examination and blood tests. They showed nothing, and I concluded that the feeling was due to some kind of under-recovery after the flu, Mutru explains.
– In last weekend’s race, I felt that the body hit the limiter quite a bit, and aerobics didn’t come into play. At that point, thanks to the jump, the situation was such that I was able to control my progress a bit and I got the SM medal, which was in the top corner compared to the starting points.
Mutru’s tests would have been enough for Planica, but the feeling of uncertainty regarding his health took the man to tests while still on the race trip. The expensive research had to be financed out of his own pocket, but he is satisfied with the solution, because continuing to train and compete could have brought additional difficulties.
– I don’t have insurance that would compensate for such examinations, but they are only reimbursed for Olympic Committee scholarship athletes. My financial situation has been such that I have had to think about when I will go for examinations.
– Under no circumstances did I want to risk going there if I know I’m not completely healthy. However, there is a risk of arrhythmia and one that I really don’t want to have to deal with.
Mutru thought that if there is no place for the competition, then there is only rest ahead.
– When I would have been able to leave on behalf of the screens, I wanted to open my mouth at that point that the situation should be checked.
Years of bad disappointments
Mutru’s dreams of the Beijing Olympics went to waste because of a heart muscle infection. In the spring, he got corona, and in July he fell violently on Lahti’s normal hill, suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.
At the World Championships in Seefeld four years ago, the Lahti native finished tenth in the normal hill race, but the last few years have been broken and unlucky. Career continuation must be carefully considered now.
– It does make you think, and after yesterday’s diagnosis, thoughts have been running through my mind. I will hardly ever put my skis on a nail, so to speak, but when it comes to competitive sports, a decision must be made whether it is worthwhile anyway.
– At least it’s not financially profitable to put in full effort for six months of training and manage to win a race or two before being sidelined again for the rest of the season. Time will tell when I will compete for the last time, or if it was those SM races.
Mutru says that in the fall he also had an MRI of the heart, the post-enhancement of which showed an abnormality. It was possible to connect it with the previous myocardial infection.
– This one has been quite similar to the previous one. After the corona, there was also a similar stinging feeling deeper in the chest.
– It makes me wonder how the heart recovers from so many injections and whether it is at all possible to achieve the kind of results it once achieved.
“Hopefully they get an invigorating feeling”
Like the Beijing Games, Mutru’s fate is to follow the prestigious competition from the couch at home. He wishes his teammates the best performances of the season.
– Rarely does one guy’s absence from the team at the last minute bring any positive hype, but hopefully they will create such an invigorating feeling. There are always surprises in value competitions, and hopefully the surprise meets our team in a positive sense.
– Ilkka Herola has that potential, and when the going gets tough, everything is possible there.
Mutru himself is satisfied that there is more content in life than sports at the moment of yet another disappointment.
– You will get over the mental hole with time, but you have to think about more than just one thing in life. When there is family life and studies, there are other things to do, and you don’t have to constantly think about continuing your career or something like that.