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Chatlog Kaisa Mäkäräinen

Finland's Kaisa Mäkäräinen joined biathlonworld.com for a chat on Saturday, December 08, 2007. The 24-year-old took her time to answer a lot of questions, and one of the wishes she voiced already came true �

Gaucho:
Kaisa, why didn't you start today?

kaisamaek:
I was a little sick in Kontiolahti and I wanted to make sure that we can start in the Relay tomorrow. I really wanted to start but I also have to think of the other girls.

Avenger:
Kaisa, how do you feel now?

kaisamaek:
I'm okay now, only my voice is a little weak. I feel better than yesterday and better than in the beginning of the week. I have been healthy for more than two years and this is the first time I'm sick.

JKS:
It must be hard to skip a race.

kaisamaek:
It is hard. Especially when you have been preparing for the whole summer. I had a good chance to score points today. But you have to be clever, because the season is long.

JKS:
Sometimes it is better to do that. The season really is long.

kaisamaek:
I will start the Relay and I'm really excited. For the first time I feel like I'm as strong a skier as the others.

JKS:
Good for you! Do you have a good Relay team?

kaisamaek:
We have a good team tomorrow, but you never know about our shooting skills. We only had one Relay start last year, at the World Championships. And we didn't make it to the Olympics in 2006.

yvesson:
What are your goals for this season?

kaisamaek:
I want to have more top 8 results. I want to get the flowers for being in the top 8. If I don't make it there, I'll have to tell my boyfriend to get me flowers.

JKS:
I'm sure that he buys you some.

Avenger:
Have you got any friends in foreign teams?

kaisamaek:
I dont have close friends in other teams, but I know some of the girls quite well that are about my age. I know a lot of them as "hello friends" or "goodbye friends".

gaucho:
What do you prefer, running or shooting?
kaisamaek:
When I'm in good shape, I prefer skiing. I like both disciplines, though. In training I prefer skiing. A bad shooting training really throws you off, it gives you a bad mood. You can do a lot more in a physical training.

JKS:
Hey! Do you like Christmas?

kaisamaek:
I really didn't use to be a Christmas person. But at the moment I'm looking forward to Christmas, because I can go home and see my family and friends. I was lucky to make it home during the last years - my parents live quite close to a training facility that has a tunnel. My biggest Christmas gift would be flowers next week. That would mean a good race, although that's a bit before christmas

JKS:
I hope you get those flowers...

Kaisa Mäkäräinen
kaisamaek:
I have a Christmas calendar where I get a message from santa every morning.

JKS:
What did santa say today?

kaisamaek:
Santa says things like "keep your room tidy"...

JKS:
Uups. Im sure that your hotelroom is really clean and well organised

kaisamaek:
When I'm home I can't go to sleep when there is a mess anywhere in the house. When I'm away it's the opposite. But Mari, my roommate, is worse. Sometimes there is a lot of clothing lying everywhere and sometimes you don't know which clothes you have used before...

yvesson:
What kind of music do you like?

kaisamaek:
I like rock music from finnland, nightwish and him. There are some other Finnish bands that sing in Finnish that you won't know. I listen to aggressive music in the morning when I prepare for a race...

gorghulio:
Extreme music?

yvesson:
It's unlikely you are right.

gorghulio:
I hope Joulupukki and music will bring you flowers victory!

JKS:
So are you aggressive before a race?

kaisamaek:
My former coach told me that I shouldn't smile before the race but be serious and focus. But I really like to talk to people before a race - it's different with the music.

JKS:
Yes. Racing must not be funny...

gaucho:
Do you think Kaisa Varis can become as good a biathlete as Anna Carin Olofsson for example?

kaisamaek:
I don't know if Kaisa Varis can be as good as ACO. Biathlon is tough.

gaucho:
Do you see a lot of fans from Finland in biathlon stadiums? Is it important for you?

kaisamaek:
There aren't so many Finnish fans. It seems that all of the Finnish fans around are my family and friends... But in biathlon it really doesn't matter so much where the fans are from.

Avenger:
Have you got any hobbies?

kaisamaek:
I have a website and I try to write a diary, but I often don't have the time. I also try to grow flowers at home. But, you know, I'm away so much that they usually die when I'm away.

yvesson:
The website is all in Finnish, will it be in English in the future?

kaisamaek:
The website will be in English, too, soon. I'll do that in the summer. I'll actually try to do something about that during the Christmas days.

Kaisa Mäkäräinen
Avenger:
Have you got any hobbies besides plants?

kaisamaek:
I don't really have any other hobbies, except for other sports in the summer. But these always have to do with biathlon training. I like to watch movies and go shopping, but I wouldn't call those hobbies. I like to know what I want before I go shopping. I'm not so girlish, and Mari even less.

gaucho:
Do you like ice hockey?

kaisamaek:
I watched the World Championships, but not many other games.

gorghulio:
Do you think biathlon is difficult sport? Sport requires great concentration, effort and will?

kaisamaek:
I only start to think that I actually know something about biathlon. The interesting thing about biathlon is that you can win today and finish 30th tomorrow. It sure is more difficult than cross country. You also need your head in biathlon.

JKS:
Yes it's good to have a head...

kaisamaek:
We used to say that in cross country, you can throw away your head in cross country at the start of a race. In biahtlon you need to think all the time. I don't know about other sports, expect cross country.

gaucho:
Do you like summer biathlon and will it someday become more popular?

kaisamaek:
I don't know if there will be other athletes in summer biathlon, I think that winter biathlon will always be more important. I learned to like summer biathlon last summer. I fell quite badly in previous summers, but not this summer.

JKS:
Do you eat a lot of candy?

kaisamaek:
I do like sweets.

JKS:
What do you do between races?

kaisamaek:
What I do between races depends on where you are staying. Like here, we don't have internet, so I just read magazines, run, eat... I read all kinds of magazines, girls stuff and sports magazines. I just read the new biathlonworld magazine � and the article about the new rules was the best.

JKS:
Sounds like fun!

gorghulio:
run, run and run ...

kaisamaek:
Most of the biathlon places are really small, and it's actually better not to do too much between the races.

gorghulio:
You have boyfriend? Have enough time to privacy?

kaisamaek:
Yes I have a boyfriend. And I have time for privacy.

Harrip:
What king of training facitlities do you have? Do you train in Kontiolahti?

kaisamaek:
In Joensuu, that's next to Kontiolahti, there are two rollerski tracks, both with shooting ranges. That's where I live
These places are good enough for training.

gorghulio:
Are you often in the news?

kaisamaek:
There was quite a lot in the press about myself and about biathlon before the first world cup. There was also a lot in the media before the last World Championships.

ich:
Do you like being in the press?

kaisamaek:
There are good sides and the bad sides of being in the media, but it's my life right now.

JKS:
Are you looking forward to the next week and Pokljuka?

kaisamaek:
I hope that I will get healthier and do my best in Pokljuka. I would especially like to do well on the range. Then I'd feel better going into the Christmas break.

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Kaisa Leena Mäkäräinen