Athletics | Reetta Hurskee's World Cup semi-final was preceded by complete chaos – “I didn't really feel like running”

Glasgow

Quick beeper Reetta from Hurskee saw in Glasgow on Sunday evening that he had had a long winter. After the World Cup semi-final of the 60-meter hurdles, a red-faced woman who seemed to be mentally tired stepped in front of the media.

Itku had already cried a moment earlier in Yle's TV interview.

The Tampere Pyrinnö runner did his best at the World Championships, but his 8.00 in the semi-final left him fifth in his heat and thus out of the final.

“A place in the final would not have required much, but today it was too much,” said Hurske.

The final race was reached with a time of 7.95, which was only a couple of hundredths faster than Hurskee's best time of the season in the morning.

A year earlier, Hurske scored 7.79 to become European indoor track champion. If he had been at his best in Glasgow, the place in the final would have been almost a foregone conclusion.

However, Hurske was not at his best.

“The start was bad and the fence crossings were too high,” he said.

The World Cup is a place where level and self-confidence must be at the top if you want to fight for the top positions.

Pious however, the winter has been overshadowed by illness and a violent fall in the race in Poland a month ago.

The Tampere native said in Glasgow that the fall has haunted his mind during the runs. On a short distance of 60 meters, where hundredths matter, the starting point is not good.

“After the race in Poland, the running has been cautious.”

When the runner has at the same time piled up pressure on himself, but had bad luck on the way, the feeling has become heavy for the eyes.

The heavy feeling was not eased by the fact that there was complete chaos in the cramped training area of ​​the WC arena in Glasgow.

– Someone moved the fences, and someone ran in the other direction. The coaches had a job to keep the track clean. It was boring to crouch on the racks and start accelerating when you noticed that someone was standing in front of you. I didn't really feel like running.

However, Hurske added that chaotic exercise areas are a scourge in many indoor competitions.

Next Hurske plans to take a break for a week. There is also a one-month camp in Tenerife ahead. The overburdened mind can be unloaded and the Polish morkö defeated.

“I just need more runs now. It's nice to get back to training. Such a hall period could now be put together. Times close to eight seconds don't say anything about my condition,” said Hurske.

Beneath the surface, there was healthy defiance and competitive spirit.

“These kinds of results would have been completely frowned upon last year. Now, however, we were in the World Cup semi-finals, and there was no other Finnish woman there.”

A splash after that the mind started to sink towards the ground again. Hurske didn't want to say that he had a hard time. It wasn't easy either.

“Mentally, I've had to deal with quite a lot,” Hurske admitted.

The tears came again.

“I am relieved that the season is over. At the same time, I am really proud that I dared to cross the line. There is still work to be done in the entire government,” Hurske said, fighting back tears.

Then he went to rest.