Finland’s small but mighty combined team won its second medal of the competition in the large hill event in Milano Cortina. This time, Ilkka Herola took the medal. It was the fourth medal for the Finnish team.
Ilkka Herola achieved the best Olympic result of his long career last week in the normal hill competition, when he finished fifth. On Tuesday, Herola rewrote history books when he won the Olympic bronze medal in the large hill competition.
Herola started the cross-country skiing section 32 seconds behind the leader. Having performed a series of top jumps in training, Herola was extremely disappointed after the ski jumping section.
– Bad jump, it won’t get me anywhere. Pretty much the worst jump I’ve ever made from that hill. It doesn’t look good. The medal race is too far ahead, as the weather will be faster than in a normal hill competition, Herola shook his head.
The reality was different. Right at the first uphill section, Herola made such a leap that he caught up with everyone except Austria’s Johannes Lamparter. The main group caught up with Lamparter shortly after the halfway point.
– I still think that my starting position for skiing wasn’t very favorable on paper. We just took a risk and went for it, and this time it paid off, Herola smiled.
The medals were decided on the final ski leg between Herola, Lamparter, and Norway’s Jens Luraas Oftebro, who won gold. Herola, who had maintained a fierce pace from the start, had to slow down on the final climb, but kept the others well behind him. The difference between him and fourth place was 27.1 seconds.
– When I slowed down, it was nice to see that Ilu was in the top three. It warmed my heart, even though I didn’t have anything left to give, said Eero Hirvonen, who briefly joined the leading group and finished fifth in the normal hill competition.
The 30-year-old Herola represents the Puijo Ski Club. Herola has achieved personal points in the Olympics in PyeongChang, Beijing, and Milano Cortina, but the Siilinjärvi native had to wait until the last competition of his fourth Olympics to win a medal.
However, this is Herola’s second medal in the competition. Herola won silver at the 2021 World Championships in Oberstdorf.
I wouldn’t really put these two athletic performances on different levels, but mentally, this one has been tougher for me. I have to be happy with that. I’ve been able to get myself into such good shape that I didn’t even need to succeed completely – at least on the hill. I’m happy with that, Herola summed up.
Herola’s medal was Finland’s second from the Milano Cortina Olympics. Hirvonen won Olympic bronze in the normal hill competition. The team sprint is still to come on Thursday. The last time Finland won more than one medal in the combined event at the same Olympics was in Salt Lake City in 2002.
