Javelin thrower Toni Keränen’s weight dropped five kilograms when he contracted an unknown bacteria at a training camp in South Africa. He recovered to World Cup condition.
Fever of 40 degrees, discharge from the upper and lower extremities, disturbances in consciousness and headache.
Javelin thrower Toni Keränen24, fell ill in March-April at a training camp in South Africa.
– As such, there was no very serious fear of death, although I was very scared. In the first days, I couldn’t get out of bed, Keränen describes.
There was no doctor on the trip of the Finnish team.
– It was immediately clear that I was poisoned.
Keränen was hospitalized in South Africa.
– I received six different medicines for each different symptom.
In the end, the doctor from Finland was caught by remote connection.
– There is absolutely no credit to South African doctors. I heard from Finland that they were completely useless medicines. Painkillers became bad withdrawal symptoms. Those drugs would not be prescribed in Finland under any circumstances.
Fortunately, I have an old master Tero Pitkämäki was involved in the training camp.
– Tero considered that the medicines were allowed. It would have been missing that they would have turned out to be a positive doping sample.
The symptoms continued in Finland and Keränen was rushed to the hospital in his hometown of Oulu.
– In Finland, the doctor said that half of those drugs should not have been used under any circumstances.
Keränen says that “every possible” investigation was done in Finland.
– The final cause will never be known, since it had already been some time since the problems started, but intestinal fever caused by bacteria could be established. It was a disease similar to typhus.
According to the Health Library, typhoid is a serious general infection caused by the Salmonella Typhi bacteria, which is transmitted through contaminated food or drink. The symptoms are a headache, fever, feeling sick, stomach pain and nausea starting 1-2 weeks after infection. If untreated, the mortality rate is 10–30 percent.
– The cause of the illness is probably food or tap water. Someone in South Africa got sick from taking a shower. I didn’t drink the tap water there, but I rinsed the toothbrush. Should not have.
No other Finns got sick in South Africa.
Five kilos left
Toni Keränen recovered from poisoning. PASI LEISMA
Due to health problems, Keränen’s weight dropped by about five kilos.
– Now it’s starting to feel like I’m fine. In the last month, he has been able to properly relax and put pressure on his body, he says in Eugene, a good three months after the initial symptoms.
– But it’s still on. You still have to be careful what you put in your mouth. According to Finnish doctors, the disease can be seen in the intestines for six months, the javelin thrower continues.
Considering the drastic health problem, Keränen’s season has been excellent. In three different competitions, over 80 meters and twice over 82 meters. My own record of 82.89 came in Oulu during Midsummer. He made it to the World Championships thanks to the ranking system.
– It’s a great feeling to go throw to the World Championships. There is no pre-favourite pressure. If you throw close to the record in the qualifying and the same in the final, there may be chances for a good result.
The men’s javelin qualification is organized on the night before Friday Finnish time. The qualifying limit is 84 meters.