Rower Jari Saario injured his middle finger in the Atlantic.
Jari Saario’s winter program includes at least Finlandia skiing and climbing Kilimanjaro. TOMI NATRI / AOP
Jari Saario returned from his dizzying Atlantic rowing with a completely unique experience – and a badly squeaky middle finger.
The finger was injured due to an unfortunate lifting of the life raft. The finger ended up between the raft’s strap.
– The finger probably swelled to double size, Saario describes.
– Two tendons were completely torn off. The hand surgeon said that he wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it, even if I had come (to the appointment) right away.
Saario did not have to go through a jar of painkillers.
– I have a moderate pain threshold in such matters, he says.
– I could row well – and my fingers fit well in the oars.
At home, the problem finger has been relatively painless.
– When your finger hits something, it feels nasty, says Saario.
– For the rest of its life, it is bent, almost at a 90-degree angle. I’ve been thinking about pulling it off completely.
Really?
– Really. It’s in the way all the time.
The finger will hardly harm future rowing jobs.
– It’s just good when you don’t have to bend a finger.
This is what Jari Saario’s finger looked like before and after the accident. Jari Saario’s home album