Eetu Rantala, who ran as the fastest man in Finland, is wondering if he should hang the spikes on a nail.
The number one target of the three-time Finnish champion Eetu Rantala has not been training anymore. Vesa Pöppönen / AOP
Twice fastest in Finland at 100 meters, once at 200 meters. Eetu Rantala29, was one of the brightest sprinter names in Finland in the 2010s.
2018 Rantala won the SM gold last time with 100. After that, he took part in two more Kaleva competitions.
Now it was the second year in a row that the Oulu Pyrinnö man was not seen at the starting stands of the Kaleva Games.
– This season has been a bit difficult because of the hamstring injury. From the beginning, I tried to run, but there has been other life here. The focus has not been so much on training anymore. There has been work and other things, Rantala starts the call.
So are your runs done?
– I haven’t made a final decision yet, whether I will put the spikes in the nail or not. I have given myself time until autumn to see how the balance of everyday life can be found now that a lot of new things have come through part-time jobs and other things.
– If there is still motivation, time and resources in the fall, there is no obstacle to return. It’s more about your own desire.
The only races of the summer Rantala run in June in Oulu and in early July in Jämsä.
“You can manage with lower limb injuries”
Rantala, who lives in Oulu, has studied for a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. In addition, he coaches a group of four young sprinters.
The mentioned hamstring injury dates back to a year and a half ago. There is much more to Rantala’s injury history.
– In the Halli SM, the hamstring muscle tore off that short end. It took a long time to wrestle with it. It was the first injury to my legs.
– I had problems with my back before. In 2019, I had surgery on a bulge in my back, and luckily it was fixed because it started to affect everyday life. Fortunately, we got it. I can cope with lower limb injuries in everyday life, Rantala smiles.
The best quotation of Rantala’s career at 100 is 10.30 from 2014.
The August evening in Berlin 2018 was historic for the Finnish relay team. Pasi Liesimaa/IL
In addition to the title of the fastest man in Finland, however, he is remembered quite well from the European Championships in Berlin 2018. The Finnish relay team – Otto Ahlfors, Oskari Lehtonen, Samuel Purola and Rantala – broke SE twice.
In the final, Finland was sixth with a historically very high 38.92.
However, the current level is so tough that Finland has every chance of breaking that time in August at the European Championships in Munich.
– Let’s hope that there will be a third SE for this summer, when 100 and 200 have already been broken. There is enough speed, as long as the changes are in the right place. Rantala hopes that it will happen in the European Championships or in the match against Sweden.