The Finn Olli Hiidsalo ensures a real sensation in the singles of the biathlon World Cup in Lenzerheide and celebrates the best result of his career. Although it is not quite enough for a medal, the cheering after the largest payday of his career is great. With legend Kaisa Mäkäräinen even the tears flow.
Olli Hiidsalo’s timing could not have been much better. The 34-year-old Finn opened the best performance of his career for the individual race of the World Cup in Lenzerheide. There he ran past a medal as the fourth on Thursday, but at the same time celebrated the best result of his long biathlon career, which started 13 years ago.
“This is an incredibly great reward. The best result of my career … and I’ve been doing it for a few years,” cheered the veteran over his fourth place after the race. For him, it was “the perfect race”, said Hiidsalo, whose best World Cup result has so far been an eleventh place.
Tears of joy in biathlon legends mäkäräinen
“When I was shooting, I was already under pressure and have become more and more tense. I trembled slightly. But then I managed to pull myself together and build the race so that I could run a constant pace until the end,” he analyzed his Appearance, the Finland’s legend Kaisa Mäkäräinen, who is on site as a TV expert in Lenzerheide.
For his fourth place, Hiidsalo was rewarded with prize money of 11,000 euros – the largest payday of his career. He couldn’t have had a better timing here either, because just a few weeks before the start of the World Cup, his wife Elisa gave birth to the first child together.
Sleepless week before the biathlon World Cup
“It was great to come here because I was finally able to sleep. I hadn’t slept a lot of catching up to do for a week,” said Hiidsalo, who got the green light from his wife for participating in the World Cup.
“I would have liked to stay at home on the one hand, but I also have to go back to work. Our baby is still very young. I could help, but at the moment his mother is needed,” the Finn said with a smile .
Incidentally, the secret winner of the day did not mourn the narrowly missed bronze medal. “In third place, such a tough opponent ended up that there was no way for me. But it is just great to be able to run so far ahead,” said Hiidsalo, who, according to coach Erik Torneus, said Kulstad radiated a “special magic” and simply “incredible”.