Maisa Kuusikko might be a prime flutist – now she practices gymnastics 28 hours per week and succeeds – Muricas News

Tampere

Instantly in the beginning of the assembly Maisa Kuusikko tells the information: he won't take part within the gymnastics championships in his hometown Tampere this weekend.

The information is shocking, as a result of Kuusikko was very profitable in three consecutive high-level gymnastic competitions.

“It is a current determination. You need to save your again and respect your physique,” says 17-year-old Kuusikko.

Simply three weeks in the past, Kuusikko was fifteenth within the quadruple on the European Championships in Turkey, and on the similar time, she grew to become the primary Finnish feminine gymnast to succeed in the finals of the European Championships for the second time.

The primary time he was within the last of the quadruple was in 2021 in Basel 2021, the place he positioned traditionally thirteenth. In August 2022, he was eleventh in a stay match on the European Championships in Munich.

Each different 12 months, the quadruple is contested instantly within the qualification and each different 12 months within the last, which is organized individually. The platforms of the match for girls are vault, stability beam, beam and vault.

In November, Kuusikko grew to become the primary Finnish lady to qualify for the ultimate competitors within the quadruple, additionally on the World Championship stage. He was the eleventh and sixth greatest European in Liverpool.

No different Finnish lady has come near Kuusiko’s achievement.

After the World Championships, the nice promise of stability beam gymnastics fell sharply to the bottom. The reason for the elevated again ache was revealed to be a stress fracture.

In January MRIs confirmed that the fracture had begun to heal properly. Kuusikko was allowed to begin making ready for the spring European Championships.

“Rehabilitation was accomplished at nice danger, and my again received a little bit irritated on the European Championships. After all, a fracture is worrying as a result of it could actually recur very simply. That’s why the SC video games are missed as a precaution to get the again in form. Incapacity is the sum of many elements,” says Kuusikko.

Kuusikko has loads of medals in his trophy case in Pispala, though he missed the WC final 12 months resulting from sickness as properly. He was operating a fever.

“I had simply come from a contest journey and tried to go to coaching earlier than the WC, however nothing got here of it.”

When the again can stand up to the demanding coaching, Kuusikko begins making ready for the following necessary competitors interval, aiming for a spot within the 2024 Olympic Video games in Paris.

The Olympic qualification for gymnasts is a multi-stage puzzle. The primary piece was profitable, because the Finnish girls secured a uncommon workforce spot for the autumn 2023 World Championships on the European Championships.

The Olympic Video games are additionally primarily tried as a workforce.

If Finland doesn't get a workforce spot from the World Cup, a number of particular person spots from the World Cup and spring 2024 World Cups can be allotted to the Olympic Video games.

“An Olympic place as a workforce could be the most important objective and dream of all. We now have progressed properly as a workforce and developed.”

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“There has at all times been motion within the household. I bear in mind once I was little doing all types of issues with my grandmother, and my grandparents have been nonetheless there to cheer me on.”

Clump of spruces has grown up in an energetic household and surroundings. His dad and mom are bodily training lecturers.

As a toddler, Kuusikko performed soccer and danced, however gymnastics was clearly the primary sport.

There have been three generations of gymnasts in Kuusiko’s household, when even her grandmother did gymnastics. At mother’s Ulla Kuusikko has a number of SM medals in gymnastics, and he taught his daughter the fundamental patterns of the game.

Father Ram’s sports activities have been soccer and ice hockey. Maisa’s brother Veeti performs soccer in Tampere Ilves.

“There has at all times been motion within the household. I bear in mind once I was little doing all types of issues with my grandmother, and my grandparents have been nonetheless there to cheer me on.”

Maisa began gymnastics in a youngsters’s trick group on the age of 4. He participated in his first competitions on the age of six.

“Competing is a pure factor for me. It’s not scary, however the competitors is at all times thrilling. My composure and skill to resist stress have improved on a regular basis,” says Kuusikko.

Workout routines supervising coach Ida Laisi praises his protégé as a conscientious trainee with good focus.

“Maisa is actually proficient with motor expertise. He simply adopts new applications and fashions”, says Laisi.

Laisi is a former aggressive gymnast who was on the prime within the World Championships ten years in the past. He coaches the six collectively Igor Tshrepovin with.

On the similar time, Laisi works as the game supervisor of the Tampere Gymnasts. There are about 150 gymnasts within the membership, a few of whom are nonetheless small. In complete, there are a few thousand lovers of various gymnastics within the membership.

“Ida was additionally my idol when she was doing gymnastics,” Kuusikko laughs, when the coach walks her from the interview to the following coaching session.

Per week Kuusikko trains for about 28 hours. There are coaching classes twice a day on Tuesdays and Fridays, within the morning earlier than college and within the afternoon after college. Different days there's one observe and Sunday is free.

“Due to my again, the quantity of coaching is now rather less than regular.”

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“I had the perfect flute trainer on the earth. I might play classical and my favourite songs, however then I finished taking part in once I began highschool.”

In stability gymnastics, a clear set of actions is the results of lengthy work. A single motion could also be polished for years earlier than it's prepared for efficiency.

“I did one truss store for 2 years earlier than I received it within the enterprise collection,” says Kuusikko.

This system should even have sufficient issue to extend the analysis factors.

“I like once I get to study one thing new. In gymnastics, you'll be able to’t joke round and make the actions simpler. They have to be accomplished cleanly and safely.”

Beforehand Kuusikko was in music class and performed the flute, however with the sharpest peaks, gymnastics takes all the additional time.

“I had the perfect flute trainer on the earth. I might play classical and my favourite songs, however then I finished taking part in once I began highschool. By the best way, I actually like music.

Kuusikko drives a automobile to Tesoma in Tampere for coaching. Even the varsity journey to Sammo Keskuslukio has its personal journey recreation. He goes to highschool in 4 years.

“I'm an OK scholar. The varsity might go higher if there was extra time for it.”

Now Kuusikko is already trying ahead to a brief summer season trip of a couple of week, throughout which he'll camp, swim and eat good meals.

“I've by no means been terribly strict with meals. There was no have to be hungry. There must be a stability.”

The Finnish championships within the eight aggressive disciplines of gymnastics can be determined at Tampere Truthful and Sports activities Heart on 5-7. Might.