The skier named after Mika Myllylä shuddered – did a lot of hard work in an interview with EPN | Sports in a nutshell

Mika Vermeulen was really happy in an interview with after the Tour. He blew away and was second in the Tour’s overall race. The future Austrian wrote a harsh text.

There are Finnish connections to the biggest challenger of the Tour de Ski men’s race, even though the Finnish men’s Tour was at the bottom. A Finnish skiing legend What I mill after What Vermeulen was second in the men’s overall race. Only the Norwegian superstar was tougher than him Johannes Hösflot Kläbo.

In the final climb of Alpe Cermis, Vermeulen was the second fastest and thereby also became the second fastest in the entire Tour. The Austrian glowed with happiness when he got to ‘s interview point.

– This was great. My childhood dream came true, Vermeulen rejoiced.

The 25-year-old Vermeulen said that he was definitely one of the first generation of skiers who grew up watching the Tour de Ski. The tour, established as the number one event of the Cross-Country World Cup, was contested for the first time in the 2006–2007 season.

– I looked at it at the time Tobias Angereria, Dario Cologne and Peter Northugia fighting for these rankings, what I’m fighting for now. I’m really proud that I’m now one of those who are looked up to, Vermeulen said, referring to the legends of the skiing world.

In today’s skiing world, Vermeulen is one of the few men who always works hard during the Games. He doesn’t act like many others.

– It’s skiing. When you think, for example Martin Johnsrud Sundby or Peter of Northug duels. I just have to get faster or cross the finish line first if I want to win the races, Vermeulen took his position calmly.

He plans to get the most out of himself for the rest of the season. At the turn of February-March, the World Cup looms. There, he has a clear goal, according to his own words, after the success of the Tour de Ski. The Austrian wants to get a medal.

– After the season, I’m going home. In the summer, I will train myself so damn well that I will win next year, Vermeulen presented with a hard voice.

He explains the rise in level for this season with good training.

– This is an endurance sport. People underestimate the importance of exercising over the years. I think I’ve been training well most of the time. The more I train well, the better I am, Vermeulen described.

The Finnish tinge in the name got the stamp while watching TV

Vermeulen was born in June 1999. The previous winter Vincent and Doreen Vermeulen had watched impressed how Mika Myllylä had won no less than three World Championship golds at the Ramsau World Championships: 10 km traditional, 30 km free and 50 km traditional competition. Dorien Vermeulen had received a spark for a child named Mika Myllylä.

– We were so excited about Mika that we decided our little boy would be Mika, mother Dorien Vermeulen told Urheilu in Ramsau over three years ago.

The final decision was made while watching the skiing competition on TV after the World Championships.

– One or two races after the World Championships, it snowed really hard in one of the races. It was a joint departure. The TV showed only snow. Suddenly, a man emerged from the middle of the snow and the forest. It was Mika. He looked like such a big survivor. It felt good.

Vermeulen competed in the combined as a youngster. The Austrian became a two-time junior world champion in the team competition. In the juniors, there was a World Cup silver in individual competitions. However, Mika Vermeulen switched to cross-country skiing after his junior years.

– His strength was to hurtle up the hills really fast. After the hill he could be the 40th and after the skiing the first, father Vincent Vermeulen remembered three years ago the games of his son’s youth.

– Even a blind man could see what he can do. Then he decided to go cross-country entirely.