Oliver Helander: “My career ends in shoulder surgery”

On Friday, it turned four years old, but the cake coffees were not enjoyed and it was not remembered with warmth.

– It was a little worse day in my life, javelin thrower Oliver Helander smirk.

– I don’t really remember anything about that throw. I hit my head hard on the surface of the field and spun around. I wouldn’t have thought then that it would be symptomatic for another four years, he continues.

The race on the old home field in Raseborg was on June 17, 2018, when Helander suffered an injury that overshadowed his entire career.

– My spear career started in 2016 with elbow surgery and it will very likely end with shoulder surgery.

Helander collapsed four years ago looking unnatural. The slow-motion video shows that he slammed his shoulder above the surface of the field after the throw-in.

– I had had problems with my elbow at the beginning of my spear career. Then, after the fall of Raseborg, the elbow was photographed. The shoulder should have been photographed because the symptoms began after it collapsed. But it’s easy to be wise.

Tear

The shoulder is the most important single body part of a javelin thrower. A rupture was observed in the infraspinatus of Helander’s throwing hand shoulder after the 2018 season. Infrared fixation is the lower shoulder muscle. It is one of the muscles of the shoulder rotator cuff, an essential tool in throwing.

– In January 2020, the shoulder was cleaned, but no major surgery was performed.

It couldn’t be done because usually a large shoulder operation is a death kiss for a top-level javelin throw.

– It’s a really big risk if the shoulder returns to the same level after the operation.

So Helander has been tearing forward with an injury.

– The shoulder is a problem for the rest of your career, but you have to live with it, the athlete says.

– I may not have had any fear in the races with it. Although it has been painful, he has always been able to throw with it because there is more adrenaline in the race than in the workouts, he continues.

After each race and each throwing workout, Helander’s shoulder is massaged. During the warm-up and side training, special movements must be made each time to keep the shoulder in the throwing condition.

Masters help

At the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku on Tuesday, Helander, 25, threw the fourth longest slice in Finnish history at 89.83 with the current spear model.

It was no coincidence. In the season 2021 it went 86.13, in the summer of 2019 it slipped to 86.93 and the old record of 88.02 was from 2018. The summer 2020 athlete missed.

In the seasons of 2018–19, the second best race went about 85 meters.

– That’s when the best throws always came from the beginning of the season, until there were problems.

Possibly a shoulder injury has exposed other ailments: elbow, firefighter, ankle, wrist, Achilles tendon …

– When the Achilles tendon ached before the Doha World Cup, it was a difficult situation. Throwing with it was a bit cautious and the momentum is a bit off. Now it has returned to a good level and with it the results have improved considerably.

After last season, Helander became the coach of the old champion Tero Pitkämäki. The Ostrobothnian host, who is widely acquainted with top sports, put his protector into comprehensive sports injury research as his first job. Nothing dramatic was found besides “light” wrist surgery, but it was clear that no new injuries could be afforded.

– The potential is strong and still visible. However, the troubles begin to take effect and the potential begins to wane. If the injuries are not treated, you will not be able to progress terribly from that level, Pitkämäki commented on last season.

Spikes in pain

The basic training period 2021–22 was the best in Helander’s career.

– From February to May, there was no pain anywhere. I kept throwing regularly throughout the winter. It gives you the opportunity to compete a little more and hopefully the results will be at a high enough level, says the spearman who lives in Vaasa with his cohabiting spouse.

– In Turkey, at the May training camp, my shoulder started to feel symptomatic when I made harder throws. In the opening race of the season in Germany in May, the shoulder was pretty sore, Helander continues.

The cortisone spike removed the pain. In Turku on Tuesday, the man snatched the third longest slice of world statistics this season without any problems.

– Cortisone is not a healthy thing to do, so many doses cannot be taken during the season. Probably put another spike before the World Cup.

How do you feel in your body three days after the Turku race?

– You always notice after the race that you have been thrown out of the spear. But it’s okay.

Finland improved

Helander chats fluent Finnish at Kuortane Sports College. It was not a matter of course for an athlete from a Swedish-speaking family until a few years ago.

– It is clear that my Finnish has improved. It helps to throw a spear to know Finnish.

When he was younger, Helander was very brief. Improved Finnish partly explains that currently the answers in interview situations are longer than 3–4 words.

– I was really shy when I was younger. That, too, has changed little in recent years. Maybe that’s a pretty good thing, the man who enjoys watching Youtube videos, NBA matches and frisbee golf in his spare time describes.

The desire to show

Oliver’s father Jan Helander is a Finnish handball legend and little brother Benjamin plays in the main series in Germany. Also mom Leona is comfortable with the leather ball.

– In 2016, I felt that I had a better chance of succeeding as a javelin thrower than as a handball player. As a handball player, it is a bit difficult to get to the Olympics in Finland. At least it is easier to get involved in the spear.

The goal of participating in the Olympics came to fruition last summer in Tokyo, but that’s when the gig ended with a qualifier.

– Adversity has probably confirmed. Many in my position would have ended their spear career. I want to show myself and others that I can throw far and take medals. In Paris in 2024, I should be fit for my life and fight for Olympic gold.

The goal is realistic as long as the shoulder lasts.

– I’m going to show that the shoulder and other places last.