Manager legend Tero Heiska had time to answer for Kuortane Games’ athlete acquisitions for 31 years straight. In the future, the task will be handled by Arttu Salonen.
The classic event of Finnish athletics, the Kuortane Games, gets a new leader, when for 31 years in a row he was responsible for international athlete recruitment Tero Heiska withdraws from the task.
Heiska is one of the most meritorious Finnish managers in athletics, whose team includes, among others, a multiple pole vault medalist Wilma MurtoOlympic javelin champion Keshorn Walcotttwo-time world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber and world champion Johannes Vetter.
– During the last couple of years, there started to be pressure in the pan and to be cramped. Of course, I had promised to continue recruiting athletes for the Kuortanee competition, because this is my passion. A bit like my own child. But then things worked out a bit unexpectedly, says Heiska.
In the future, only a 30-year-old will step into Heiska’s shoes Arttu Salonen. He has been in charge of the athlete procurement for the Paavo Nurmi Games organized in Turku since 2017.
In addition to recruiting athletes, Salonen studies political science at the University of Turku. His father is the CEO of PNG Jari Salonen.
– I happened to talk to Artu at the World Championships in Budapest, and he wondered if recruiting athletes would be a full-time job. After the day, I asked him if he would be interested in taking over Kuortane. I couldn’t think of a better man for the job, says Heiska.
A week of two races
Salonen is in itself a natural choice to be the athlete representative of Kuortane’s athletics games, as many stars coming to Turku have also competed in Kuortane in recent years. The events are traditionally organized in the same week.
Next summer’s competitions will be interesting due to the tight athletics calendar: the European Championships will be held in Rome at a historic early date due to the Olympic Games in Paris at the beginning of August.
The competition will take place in Rome from the 7th to the 12th. June, PNG’s turn is just six days after the European Championships and Kuortane just four days later.
– There may be surprises on the athlete side, but the European Championships can also be a really positive boost for both PNG and Kuortane, says Salonen.