Skiing | Perttu Hyvärinen’s hustle raises questions – what really happened?

Kuusamo

Mightily expert Ville Nousiainen it was like being hit on the head with a stick when Perttu Hyvärinen skied straight to the finish line in the Ruka Suomen Cup competition last Sunday.

Usually, skiers push the last meters with a crazy gleam in their eyes in order to cut even the last tenths of their time. Now Hyvärinen pushed to the finish line with his back straight, having given up.

“What? What is he doing?” Nousiainen was amazed.

It certainly came to many viewers deja vu -feeling. Hyvärinen also fell into a similar skirmish during the final distance of the World Championships in Planica, the traditional 50 kilometers. It didn’t go well with Hyvärinen, and he decided to hit it hard. In the middle of the race, Hihtokarju threw tickets to Finnish fans who had traveled to Slovenia.

At that time, among other things Juha Mieto snarled at Hyvärinen’s rapture. His actions were admired even abroad.

Hyvärinen does not flinch from the criticism he receives. The one who does it hurts.

“Sometimes I have such days that the muscle has not recovered at all. I just can’t get anything out of it. Yes, it seems lazy, no matter how hard I try to press the gas. If you don’t leave, you don’t leave”, he explains his motivation.

Hyvärinen’s tricks are by no means limited to the track. In Planica, he caused a huge uproar after being in a Yle TV interview with his partner’s food basket in his hand. The Ski Federation issued significant fines, and the people roared.

Besides, Hyvärinen has been featured much more than before. Lately, he may have been seen, for example, joking around with a twinkle in the corner of his eye in TV commercials or whenever. Over the course of a year, the serious and downright unassuming forester of Riistavesi has evolved into a man of the world who breaks social media and breaks the unwritten rules of the sport.

What the hell has happened?

Lauri Vuorinen has noticed that Hyvärinen’s public image has undergone an upheaval. In his opinion, Hyvärinen is also more genuine in front of the camera these days.

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Yes, it has always been that big gold for us guys. If only you could all hear those stories.

“It’s not just a show and theater. “Pera” has a clear prankster side, but it doesn’t always come out among us, Vuorinen says.

Cross mat Hakola has known himself since Hyvärinen’s teenage years, a few months younger.

Hakola also thinks that the Hyvärinen who appears in public today is closer to the Hyvärin with whom he has trained, traveled and sparred for hundreds of hours.

According to Hakola, the banter between the two has always been good.

“Yes, it’s always been that big for us guys. I wish you could all hear those stories”, laughs Hakola.

In public, Hyvärinen gets the image of a really easy-going man. He manages to be polite and analytical even in the midst of great disappointment, even if there is a deep sadness in his eyes.

“I have never heard that Pera gets angry. Except for himself – and sometimes (for his coach) Virtanen to Miko“, Hakola illustrates.

Virtanen has often been on the receiving end. He does not fully subscribe to Hyvärinen’s complacency.

“I shouldn’t go anywhere near the finish line after the race. Pertu must be allowed to calm down. He is extremely polite and well-behaved, but I think I am a bit too close-minded. Many times he starts yelling at me already at intermediate points”, says Virtanen with a sigh.

Remi Lindholm calls Hyväris a “funny host” who is easy to be with. According to Lindholm, the biggest difference from before is related to the appearance.

“After Perttu grew a mustache, women are much hotter. Of course, it doesn’t take them into account when you are your own mistress. If he’s somewhere with Pera, the women will follow him.”

“It’s not interesting”, Hyvärinen underlines about women’s comments.

The cheeky trademark brushes are a concrete example of Hyvärinen’s transformation. According to him, they come as a blood inheritance.

“Last winter, they grabbed something. Father has been a great role model when it comes to mustaches,” Hyvärinen reveals.

Nice one himself talks about liberation. He feels that in recent years he has had some kind of aha experience about sports and life in general.

There is no need to squeeze the rod. It stays in the hand even without it.

“I now have a different attitude towards sports. A healthier attitude. This is a profession, nothing more. I do work as work: sport is part of life, but at home I’m a different man.”

Hyvärinen thanks his manager separately Olli-Pekka “Lelu” Ojansivua, whose shameless lifestyle made a big impression on him. Hyvärinen’s public transformation began almost as soon as the clock ticked, when the former flight star began to take care of his affairs.

Ojansivu downplays its own importance.

“Emotions are not worth it, and you really shouldn’t be afraid or spared. Now Perttu has started to show emotions. It didn’t come from me, but Perttu just picked it up himself,” says Ojansivu.

According to Ojansivu, many athletes forget to enjoy their lives, but end up stressing about all the little things related to their profession. Suddenly you realize that your career is over: why didn’t I make the most of it?

“After all, skiing is a cool profession and there aren’t that many years left, so you have to enjoy it a little. And guess what, the skis started to go better when I learned to be more relaxed”, explains Hyvärinen.

“Manazeri” Ojansivu thinks that Hyvärinen has previously been wary of bringing out her personality in public.

“Maybe Perttu has thought that first you have to be successful and then something can happen. But it doesn’t work like that. When someone is successful, it’s easy to call them a sports personality because they’ve been successful,” says Ojansivu.

“But it can’t be like that. Yes, there can be a person, even if there isn’t one Iivo Niskanen.”

Nice one has always been known as a very talented endurance athlete, as evidenced by three World Youth Championship medals from 12 years ago. The maximum oxygen uptake is close to 90 millimoles.

However, according to coach Virtanen, his protégé’s greatest strength is in his skiing skills.

“He is really good at sliding. Perttu doesn’t do well in the summer running tests and is quite bad in many exercises, but at the point when you take out two poles and two skis and you have to ski as hard as possible, Perttu’s exceptional talent comes out”, says Virtanen.

Although there are talents, for a long time it seemed that Hyvärinen was nowhere near his full potential. The first skiing in the top ten of the World Cup did not come until the age of 30, in 2020. Before that, he fought with a persistent cycle of injuries.

“The years 20-27 were really difficult for me. They were drilling, and I didn’t get the result I wanted,” says Hyvärinen.

The years were broken.

“Pertulla had a normal young man’s independence and the like,” adds Virtanen.

Nice one, 32, is in his prime as an endurance athlete. The first adult competition medal, relay silver, only came last winter, so there’s plenty of hunger.

Hyvärinen says he wants to become a podium-level skier in the World Cup. He has not given any thought to the end of his career yet.

“Continuing a career is not just a matter of desire. Other realities of life also come into play. I’ll keep going as long as this tastes good and doesn’t die a natural death. Then, when young men pass by from left and right, this thing drops. So far, it doesn’t seem that way”, Hyvärinen announces, flashing her new, confident smile.