Ilkka Herola has added yet another national championship title to his impressive resume: the 24-year-old won the Finnish summer national championships held in Kuopio, alongside Annika Malacinski who claimed the inaugural title on the women’s side.
After leading already with a jump of 123.5 metres and 128.2 points, Herola transformed his head start of 15 seconds on runner-up Eero Hirvonen into a clear win by 30 seconds at the finish line of the 11 km roller skiing event. Hirvonen showed a 122-metre jump (124.5 p.) and had a big gap to third-placed Leevi Mutru (119 m, 111.7 p). At the finish line, Hirvonen arrived exactly two minutes before Mutru. Otto Niittykoski was fourth, Korean Je Un Park fifth and Jesse Pääkkönen sixth.
Markkus Alter from Estonia was the best competitor in the U-18 class and beat Herman Happonen by one minute and nine seconds at the finish line. Timi Heiskanen claimed rank three (+2:10.0).
Finnish-American Annika Malacinski was the only starter in the women’s category and is now the reigning Finnish and U.S. Nordic Combined summer champion. Malacinksi jumped 59 metres and finished her 5 km race in the time of 13:29.0.
She was joined by three Finnish and one Estonian starter in the U-18 category, where Alva Thors claimed the title ahead of Triinu Hausenberg from Estonia. Annamaija Oinas and Minja Korhonen were third and fourth. Thors jumped to 62 metres and finished her race in the time of 13:28.0, Hausenberg finished one minute and 12 seconds later after showing 61 metres in the jumping event. The Estonian beat Annamaija Oinas for the second rank by two seconds.