Iivo Niskanen and Jonne Koski competed in the hyrox race in Helsinki.
Skiing king Iivo Niskanen and crossfit star Jonne Koski were seventh in their age group in the Hyrox Helsinki competition on Saturday.
The duo competed in the pro series doubles race, and their final time was 58.02. The couple’s goal had been to get to less than an hour, where they succeeded brilliantly. According to Koski, there was still a lot to improve.
– Quite a good feeling. There was little room for improvement in all respects, says Koski.
– Stayed in your teeth for the next time, if you want to come back.
Koski and Niskanen were all smiles after the race. Atte Kajova
Not all performances went through cleanly, and the duo received a 15-second time penalty.
Niskanen, on the other hand, feels that he had a “nice experience” in the sport. Hyrox was a new sport for both athletes.
– I was able to come to the races in such a controlled manner that I was able to perform such intact performances in those sports. At least the seats remained intact, so it went quite well, says Niskanen.
Jonne Koski pulls the weight sled. Atte Kajova
For Koski, the running sections were the most challenging, because as an endurance athlete, Niskanen had to run harder.
– Toward the end, when Iivo caught the bumper and started running faster than me, it started to feel a bit at that point. In general, running was the hardest for me.
Niskasen had the most difficulties on the last point in the wall ball, where you get up from a squat and throw the ball at the wall.
– I didn’t manage to throw up enough. I probably did as many dirty repetitions as accepted ones, so it was definitely a sport that wasn’t in the glove. In my opinion, it was basically nothing but a detriment to our team, the skier blurts out.
Wall ball was a challenging point for Niskanes. Atte Kajova
Koski says that at least he would be ready to race with Niskanen again, if the races don’t mess up both of their racing calendars.
Niskanen manages to leave the interview point and is unable to answer the question.
What the heck hyrox?
The Hyrox competition consists of eight functional strength movements and eight kilometer runs. The race starts with running and ends with wall balls.
The eight sports include ski equipment, weight sled push, weight sled pull, Burpee or general exercise, kilometer pull on the rowing machine, station wagon walk, extra weight step squat and wall balls.
Women at the rowing station before the Niskanen and Koske race. Atte Kajova
Of the two, Niskanen took more responsibility for movements requiring endurance, while Koski focused more on power movements.
So how does Hyrox differ from crossfit?
– Hyrox is practically an endurance sport with a few power endurance points. In Crossfit, we don’t have predetermined movements, so in a way, I don’t know what sports I will have in the next games. Preparation is much more versatile in crossfit, Koski explains.
Jonne Koski is ready to compete with Iivo Niskanen again. Atte Kajova
Hyrox has become a real hit in recent years. The Messukeskus was also packed with spectators and competitors on Saturday.
Koski believes that the popularity is due to the easy approachability of the sport.
– It’s easy to train for this and the sport is challenging enough when it comes to such a hybrid form of training. It makes people really fit, Koski reflects.
Hyrox Helsinki continues on Sunday at Messukeskus. On Sunday, the games will see, among other things Matias Petäistö, Martina Aitolehti, Mervi Kallio, Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Ville Nousiainen.
