Long jumper Kristian Pulli talks about his relationship with spiritual matters.
Spirituality is always present in the Finnish long jump record holder Kristian Pullin, 27, in life. The athlete, who belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran church, says that he came to faith in his youth.
– It’s an important thing, a resource and an underlying energy, he describes.
It’s good for a top athlete to be in the palm of God, Pulli analyzed.
– When things are not going so well or when they are going well, you can find a good feeling there. It makes everything easier, he says.
Pulli’s Congolese fiancé is also a believer.
– We don’t have a home yet. We’ll see what the future brings, but it would be nice to be in Finland at some point. Of course, during my career in the winter it is important to train in a warm place, says the jumper who spent a long time in the basic training season in warm countries in recent years.
A decent deal
Kristian Pulli has been a believer since his youth. PASI LEISMA
Then to more mundane matters.
Iltalehti reported last season how strange a situation Pulli was. At the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, he was wearing Adidas slippers, Puma shorts, a Mizuno jacket and a Nike backpack. He had been left without an instrument contract.
This season, Pulli made a deal with German-based Puma.
– It brings stability to an athlete when someone trusts them. The contract shows that Puma has faith that I can afford to fight for the top positions.
Does your contract include financial compensation in addition to the equipment?
– It’s always important financially, because they wouldn’t be done otherwise. From an athlete’s point of view, an equipment contract is a sensible thing to do. In terms of career, it is important to get an equipment deal, so you can build your future.
Vire in the miter
Kristian Pulli was ninth last season at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Pasi Liesimaa
The 2022 season of the athlete who won the SE 827 in the second season and the EC bronze (824) in the hall in 2021 has left much to be desired. So far, the best performance has carried 8 meters.
– In June, there were four competitions in a week. There was almost more competition than last season in total. Ranking points were sought by competing. It wasn’t exactly the intention to do it that way, but when the result came in 800, invitations to bigger competitions came from the conveyor belt. I was then not allowed to cancel the already agreed starts, Pulli explains.
– We got to the World Championships thanks to the ranking list – and that was the intention, he continues.
Last season, the Finn even went to the Olympic Games in Tokyo with medal hopes. He softened a little in the final competition and was left with a result of 792. The last three rounds were entered with a result that was four centimeters longer and the bronze was bagged with a result that carried 821. A medal would not have been an impossibility if the Finn had been in top condition.
– In Tokyo, there was powder in the barrel, and it wasn’t the best feeling. Now they have tried to get a release and a better spike before the World Cup.
Pulli describes that the finishing practice in the USA on Tuesday went excellently.
– The best value contests have ever been.
What does that mean in practice?
– Promises well over eight meters. But we have to get through the qualification. It’s not enough to do a smooth race, but a spike jump when you want top positions, he answers.
The men’s long jump qualification will be contested on the night before Saturday from 04:00 Finnish time.