Finnish cross-country skier Julia Häger told about the scream she was subjected to when she landed in the finish area of the World Cup in Ruka.
Finnish skier Julia Häger competed last weekend at the Ruka World Cup. He reached 49th place in the 10-kilometer traditional and 40th place in the 20-kilometer freestyle skiing.
After Saturday’s race, Häger was lying in the finish area when a spectator shouted to him: “Fucking hurri”. Häger wrote in Instagram’s Stories section that “someone is always provoked by your mere existence”.
– I was lying at the finish line completely exhausted after a bad race, so I felt like I was in a pretty vulnerable state. It took a while for my brain to realize that someone was really shouting, but then I realized that it was directed at me, Häger told Sporten.
– I tried to look into the crowd to see who it was, but it was impossible, so I just left the finish area as quickly as possible.
Häger said that he had not previously been the target of a verbal attack because of his Finno-Swedishness. He reflected that it is generally easy to play sports as a Finno-Swedish in Finland, although sometimes there is a problem that he cannot speak his mother tongue.
Häger stated that he has not sacrificed his energy to the shouters, but also reminded that even individual shouts can hurt.
– I know that there are people who always have something to say and who want to provoke. But it can hit harder than you think. I also heard that another member of our team, who was having a bad race, was yelled at: “Do you know there is a ski race?”.
Häger’s shout was also reported Expressen.
– I was shocked, and of course it was sad, but I really didn’t devote much of my energy to it, Häger commented to the Swedish newspaper.
Expressen asked Häger how common it is as a Finno-Swede to be exposed to such things.
– This is the first time someone has yelled at me like that. But I have friends who have played team sports and have been told one thing and another when they’ve faced a Finnish team, so it’s probably more common than you think.
Häger, 27, is from Uusikaarlepyi. While studying, he lived in Sweden for several years. The skier told Expressen that his friends have been surprised when he has told what kind of situations he can encounter when he belongs to a linguistic minority.
Häger’s previous start in the World Cup was the Salpausselä sprint from the end of the 2022 season. Last season, the races were generally few due to injury. He was happy about the general atmosphere of the Ruka Games, despite one shouter.
– The crowd was incredible on both days and cheered all the way along the track, so it was fun to compete. Unfortunately my own races didn’t go so well and I didn’t have anything to give, but I’m happy to be able to compete in the World Cup again.