Markus Vuorela, who skied in the World Championships two years ago, will not make it to Planica. He would change his big pick of the season if he could.
- Markus Vuorela is not feeling well before the Tour de Ski, but decided at the last minute to compete.
- The skier was waiting for the World Championship selection, but was left out of the team.
- Vuorela skied a strong relay on Sunday in the Finnish Cup.
Hindsight is always easier than foresight, but a national team skier Markus Vuorela there has been enough to think about in the last few days.
He aimed for the World Ski Championships, but didn’t get a place in the race machine.
Vuorela worked during the season unlike many other skiers. He has competed in every World Cup weekend except Livigno at least once and also participated in the Tour de Skill.
Now the decision to go to the Tour seems questionable.
– I got sick with vomiting before the Tour, but I still went on the trip. I was feeling bad. It started a bad cycle. I didn’t get good skiing anywhere, Vuorela laments.
Markus Vuorela is disappointed by losing his place in the World Cup. Jussi Eskola
Iltalehti’s expert Reijo Jylhä considers going on the Tour as a special solution if he is unwell.
– With a successful Tour, you can improve your condition. If the starting points are bad, it’s not even worth going there. You never go on tour in an uncertain situation. Otherwise, you’ll need a lot that’s too big for your condition.
Vuorela says that the decision to leave stretched to chalk lines.
– I gave the coach responsibility for the decision. We thought about it until the end. As I remember, the flight left at four. I was still at home at one o’clock and I was looking to see if I should take my bag on the trip or not.
– Afterwards, you can say that you should not have left.
Vuorela skied the Tour twice with a traditional normal distance to 26th place. In the overall race, he was 33rd.
“I thought that would be enough”
Markus Vuorela regrets leaving the Tour de Skill. Jussi Saarinen
Of the ten men’s skiers selected for the World Championships, all but one Niko Anttola have grabbed a better ranking than Vuorela in the World Cup this season. However, Anttola recently won the youth world championship and the World Championship silver in Canada.
Vuorela’s best World Cup place of the season, 21st, came at the beginning of winter in Ruka. He has skied 12 times to places 20–40.
– I made the decision to ski all the World Cup races. It smooths out the sharpest peak. There hasn’t been a single diamond or sharp point.
– I thought that skiing would still be enough for the World Championships.
Vuorela is disappointed that he was not selected for the World Cup. However, he understands the solution of national team coaching.
– The team is what it should be. The screens may not be as smooth as mine, but individual hard skis decide places.
Branches spread out
Jämin Jänne skied the relay to third place. Jussi Eskola
On Saturday, Vuorela skied the 10 km traditional intermediate start race at the Finnish Cup in Vantaa. He led from the start at 2.5 kilometers, but was fifth after ski problems.
On Sunday, Vuorela was on the line when Jämin Jänne finished third in the 3×7.5 kilometer relay in Vantaa. He was the fastest in the second section and moved Jämi from 13th place to fourth.
On the last uphill, a skier to be overtaken on the lap blocked the banana.
– I thought I would pass from the left side. I noticed that he has parallel skis, so soon he is sprawled on them. I took the rightmost lane.
– There was another guy who was slower. I was left behind. I thought there was no way I could get out of it, so there was no point in forcing the poem.
Vuorela has remained healthy after the stomach disease. The plans for the rest of the season are not yet clear.
– We have to see if we aim for Holmenkollen or the last two weekends. 50 kilometers is a rough journey.