Ristomatti Hakola on the couch of Urheilustudio gave a rather colorful reason why sprint skiing no longer interests him.
Roope Visuri,
Riku Salminen
On Saturday, a national team skier was sitting on the couch of Ylen Urheilustudio Cross mat Hakola. He was still participating in the Oberhof World Cup last week, but now he stayed in Finland.
Hakola did not want to go to the competition weekend, where the program includes competitions for freestyle skiing. On Saturday there would have been a sprint and on Sunday a 20 km joint start.
– Hopefully freestyle skiing will be part of my own program one day, Hakola told Urheilustudio.
He competed in freestyle skiing in the second level in the Scandinavian Cup in Otepää in mid-January. Hakola was tenth in the competition. A total of nine Norwegians made it to the top.
Hakola had had time to take a two-year break from freestyle skiing competitions.
Recently, there has also been talk of how the airline lost Hakola’s skis on the way home from the Oberhof World Cup. However, now the skier has heard good news about his skis.
– They are apparently now coming to Finland. Those skis are my best skis for traditional skiing in freezing weather. They have never drowned before, Hakola said.
A colorful parable about the end of sprint skiing
In his time, Hakola was up to six times in the sprint in the World Cup final. Now, however, you can call him an old sprint skier. A few years ago, Hakola switched to a more regular distance skier.
Sports expert Kalle Lassila tried to grill Hakola, why he made such a decision after a good sprint success. Hakola had just reached the podium places until he changed his focus to slightly longer distances.
– It’s hard to say. In retrospect, I could have looked at the cards in the sprint until the end, Hakola said.
Hakola admitted that sprint races are also brutal.
– There will be four departures per day. The last three are also in a really short time. Will my anus last ten years like that? Hakola hosed.
– However, the normal route has one start beep, 15 or 20 kilometers of skiing. Finish, prize distribution and eat.
After a small inch stop, the skier from Jämin Jänte also said that he always dreamed of being an excellent general skier. For example, he made the Norwegian men excited about it and raised, for example, the top name in the overall competition of the current World Cup Harald Östberg Amundsen.
– It doesn’t matter what the trip is, he’s really tough. I’ve always dreamed of something like that, but I’m only missing three quarters of the trips, Hakola said and recalled how he called himself a “poor man” when he was younger as Petter Northug”, referring to the Norwegian legend of cross-country skiing.
The silver medalist in last year’s Planica World Skiing World Cup relay and the 2021 Oberstdorf World Skiing World Cup pair sprint silver medalist is already looking forward to next year’s World Cup in Trondheim.
Hakola became interested in ten kilometers of traditional skiing.
– When I saw the tracks, it started to interest me. The courses were quite easy for value race courses. 85 percent straight thrust. I started to be interested in skiing for a long time, Hakola threw.
How long will skiing still interest you?
– It always depends a little on the results. Do you have to read the results list on your knees? Skiing is always nicer when you can do it, 32-year-old Hakola said.