Trondheim-based Juuso Haarala Dropped from the Team – Surfaces on the Track Wearing a World Championship Bib

Juuso Haarala, who lives in Trondheim, had pushed hard to earn a place on the Finnish national sprint team for the World Championships. When his strong efforts did not yield the desired result, he sent a message via Yle Urheilu during the Finnish Cup on February 9 to the team’s coaching and support staff.

Despite his removal from the official team, Haarala has not been sitting idle. On Tuesday, just a few kilometers from Granåsen’s ski stadium, he turned up on the track where the team’s sprinters – including Emil Liekari, Joni Mäki, Lauri Vuorinen, and Niilo Moilanen – were conducting their final trial runs before the championship sprint. Having an excellent knowledge of the sprint course, he assisted with planning tactical details for the session.

Sprint coach Ville Oksanen had reached out for help, and Haarala readily agreed, emphasizing the close bonds among the athletes. Although the setback was painful, Haarala said that his disappointment had already faded, and he even enjoyed the chance to participate under the championship bib.

After the sprint trainings, Haarala informed the team’s support staff that he was willing to help with further ski testing in the coming days. However, according to head of waxing Heikki Tonteri, the offer was not taken up due to the already full schedule of maintenance tasks assigned to the support crew.

Haarala, who currently lives in a modest 70‐square-meter apartment in Trondheim’s Uglan neighborhood with a monthly rent of 1550 euros, noted that he could have rented out his place during the championship period to earn extra income. He plans to return to Rovaniemi in April but will likely return to Trondheim to continue training until at least September.