Antti Ruuskanen robs the gentlemen and afternoon newspapers of the Sports Federation

Antti Ruuskanen is a lustful and polite guy in public, but in a recent biography Place of Räting (Checkers) brings out the other side of the spearman as well.

Ruuskanen says that his career would have ended in 2011 if he had not been selected for the Daegu World Championships.

– I will not tolerate injustice. Then I get angry, Ruuskanen tells Iltalehti.

Based on screenings in the summer of 2011, Ruuskanen had earned a place on the World Cup stage, but the Sports Federation chose Sampo Lehtolan on the basis of one throw of less than 84 meters.

– It felt unfair. For 2011, a decision was made that there must be equality. And then it didn’t go as the rules said.

Ruuskanen challenged the matter in the Sports Judicial Security Committee – and won. He left for South Korea, from where Lehtola returned home before the qualifiers.

– Detached houses and large loans had been acquired. The competition is of interest to sponsors. If they cannot be reached, dropped from the grant money, the athlete describes his anxiety.

In the end, Savolainen would be the best Finnish spearman in the competition.

Ruuskanen’s father was heartbroken by the selection guide for the bosses of the Sports Federation To Jarmo Mäkelä and To Antti Pihlakoski so much so that he supplied them personally with skirt fabrics.

– We’ve laughed at that thing afterwards. After all, it was a comic situation. They received them. Jarmo threw his own in the trash, whether Antilla’s skirt is still a curtain, Ruuskanen laughs.

– It must have been a tough place for the gentlemen. But those things were agreed. Being on the matter, he continues.

Rapaa to the media

In interviews and informal meetings with Iltalehti, for example, Ruuskanen never pointed out that he was at times very disappointed with the stories of Finland’s largest sports media.

In the biography, both afternoon newspapers get a ride on several occasions. Individual examples also criticize Yleisradio and Savon Sanomat.

– In Finnish sports, I am annoyed that negativity sells. Negativity certainly belongs today, but how much power the media has: it affects the image of the athlete and the image affects the partners. Is the role of the media too big, Ruuskanen opens in an interview with IL.

He highlights the financial aspect.

– As a child, I also dreamed of living in sports: I would get paid and food for my family. How you write can affect the economy. Quite small euros revolve around athletics. Every euro is important. If it is written in a slightly negative tone that the subsidies need to be returned or Ruuskanen has passed the season and no race contracts have been written below, then it is out of the account bag.

Longer easier?

The book mentions that Tero Pitkämäki received better treatment in public than Ruuskanen.

Is that what you think, Antti Ruuskanen?

– Yes, Terok got a hard kick in a certain way and a male javelin throw in general. Sure, we were annealed as much as we could, but with a hard hand we also got dirt. Tero has seven medals and I have three, so there’s a difference in that.

Should the media be more encouraging to athletes?

– It’s not a bad thing if it’s more encouraging. That negativity and headlines sell. You can, of course, write about the subject. But being guessed and trusted by an insider is annoying. As you noticed in the final stages, I had “awkward managers” that gave the athlete peace.

You were very open to the media until the end of your career, but very closed in recent years. It left room for speculation when even the spear throwing sport coaches didn’t know your situation. Would you have been a little more open in the end?

– I’m not experiencing that. It is good for the athlete to tell everyone in a unified way what the situation is. Peace should have been guaranteed in the past. While we have a culture that journalists are able to rant to the coach, it is the athlete who should be told about things. How it’s in the formulas: can you play To Kimi Räikkönen directly or do you call the manager?

Räikkönen has been the most sought-after athlete in Finland in the 21st century. By far.

– It must have made sense to make Kim protected, Ruuskanen announces.

– I went and did too openly. It was only in the final stages that the athlete was given peace of mind, he continues.