OK Kerma, a team that is heading into the Jukola night has a high-level team together. The team includes many current Finnish national team’s orienteers and among others a youth world champion. With such composition you’d be expected to compete of the top positions with ease?
The situation is evened out by the fact that the team is composed out of women. In fact women who have already taken part in the Venla-relay during the Saturday-afternoon.
– This has been at least for me a dream for many years, to get to run in the Jukola night, says Kerma’s starter, Anna Närhi who has also taken part in the MM-sprint.
– For me it’s already a second time, as I’ve already once taken part in the long night – and the dawning forest was something magical, praises the anchor, Kirsi Nurmi, a youth World Champion from a few years back.
”Normally” both ladies orienteer in the Swedish IFK Göteborg, in which team they took part in the Venla-relay finishing as the twenty-sixth. The other participants of Kerma are familiar to at least those who actively follow the top orienteering: Johanna Hulkkonen, Miia Niittynen, Tiia Miettinen, Emmi Mähönen and Tytti Kirvesmies as well as Henna-Riikka Haikonen who is the teamleader.
The team almost attended last year’s Kuopio-Jukola, but due to circumstances it didn’t quite work out yet. Now they are taking part in Louna-Jukola and are aiming to have the anchor on the way before the restart.
– I wanted to have the first leg. Before the start point I wil not even try to read the map. I’ve got to keep the speed up, as my lamp’s battery has only power for 1.45 hours, predicts Närhi.
– During the Venla-relay I saw how beautiful and alternating terrain we’ve got! And a combative orienteer can’t aim for anything less than a perfect performance, Nurmi grins.
And which animal logo is printed on the OK Kerma suits? A cow, of course.
OK Kerma starter Anna Närhi (left) and anchor Kirsi Nurmi are ready to fly in the Jukola’s night. Photo: Jukka Lämsä.
