Athletics | There was a change in Wilma Murro’s speeches – “Now there is a bit of work to be done”

Rome

Pole vaulter Wilma in Murro based on his words and nature, there has been a change in the past three months.

At the beginning of March in Glasgow, where the World Indoor Track Championships were held, he exuded calmness and a splashing expectation that he would be able to jump in the race.

He was happy that the new, Yankee-made javelinas had been entered in the winter indoor competitions. Self-confidence was visible in the words.

“As ranked third, I can’t say that my goal is to be fifth. It is clear that the data does not provide a basis for seeking other than medal positions”, Murto said in Glasgow.

“I feel like I don’t have to win medals, but I really want them,” he said.

“It’s a really confident feeling that I now have the right equipment. I already have extra centimeters in my jumps,” Murto said.

What does the 25-year-old superstar say now, in Rome before the European Championships?

“I am surprisingly a little frustrated. I’m okay with the idea that there’s a bit of work to be done now. The sights are on the Paris Olympics, and now we are as far as we are. I’m fine with incompleteness,” says Murto.

“Jumps are coming extra centimeters.”

“I will be in better shape in the future. The final tuning has not been done. The sharpest point is coming later. I believe that very good results can already be taken.”

“I have opportunities for all positions between 1 and 6. Of course, it’s possible to be seventh, eighth, or that it will go to shit.”

The change the reason is an achilles injury, due to which Murto had to stop the WC final in Glasgow in March. Rehab began, and through a little recalibration. The plan is to reach peak condition at the Paris Olympics in a couple of months.

Before Glasgow, there was still a full three-medal year to chase.

“I felt in Glasgow that I was in the best shape of my career. Next time, you should ask about it before Paris.”

The Achilles injury came as a complete surprise in Scotland, even though the jumper had experienced it in his previous competition.

Murto does not want to blame the platform of the race in Rouen in the winter, nor his spikes, for the injury. Recently, new spike models have been brought up in the discussion as possible causes of Achilles injuries.

“I don’t think that the cause of the injury is a single shoe or platform. Pointing them out is lazy thinking. I’ve been wearing the same spikes for a long time, and they’re really good shoes,” he commented firmly.

“Injury is always the sum of many things, such as load and movement mechanics. We are my coach Jarno Koivunen with often turned bad moments around quickly and made a new plan. Even now,” says Murto.

In 2022, he broke his leg during the winter season, but in the summer he won European Championship gold in Munich with a Finnish record.

All all in all, it now sounds like Murro’s expectations for defending the European championship must be lowered in Rome. For example, Britain Molly Caudery will get to the European Championship from a much better starting point.

In recent years, Murto has always been at his best in the value competition finals. There is no full chance for that now. He seems mentally more tense than in the zen state of Glasgow, but in his own opinion he is not.

“I don’t feel tense. I’m quite confident. It’s not like I can’t win next Monday. It could also be that I jump 470, I’m fourth, and it’s a success.”

Luckily for Murro, the rupture of the Achilles tendon has already healed completely, but recovery took time. Before Rome, Murto has had time to do only one full-speed jumping exercise.

The EC qualifier is his first race of the summer season at full speed. The basic level is, of course, iron. In the Lahti GP race on May 24th, 460 centimeter was exceeded at a pace of 12 steps.