Lotta Harala
{{Short description|Finnish hurdler (born 1992)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Lotta Harala
| honorific_suffix = OLY
| image =
| caption =
| nationality =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|03|26|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| height =
| weight =
| country = Finland
| sport = Athletics
| event = 100 m hurdles, 60 m hurdles
| club =
| coach =
| education =
| pb = 60m hurdles: 8.00 (Tampere, 2023)
100m hurdles: 12.65 (La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2024)NR
}}
Lotta Harala {{post-nominals|list=OLY}} (born 26 March 1992) is a Finnish hurdler. In 2017, she became Finnish national champion in the 100m hurdles.
Career
She finished fourth in the 100 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics in Bressanone at the age of 17 years-old.{{cite web|url=https://www.fit.fi/hyva-olo/aitajuoksija-lotta-harala-syomishairiostaan-kammosin-seuraavaa-ateriaa/|website=fit.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Hurdle runner Lotta Harala about her eating disorder: "I dreaded the next meal"|date=19 June 2017}}
She competed in the 60m hurdles at the 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade.{{cite web|url=https://www.yleisurheilu.fi/uutinen/lotta-harala-ei-anna-selkavaivan-lannistaa/|website=yleisureheilu.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Lotta Harala does not let back pain discourage her|date=8 May 2017}} She won the Finnish national 100m hurdles title in July 2017.{{cite web |url=https://www.tempodent.fi/asiakastarina-aitajuoksija-ja-suomen-mestari-2017-lotta-harala/|title= Hurdle runner and Finnish champion 2017 Lotta Harala!|website=Tempodent|accessdate=19 June 2024}}
Harala lowered her personal best to 13.07 seconds for the 100m hurdles in August 2020 in Espoo.{{cite web|url= https://www.ess.fi/urheilu/3885729|website=eas.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= The Finnish Sports Ethics Center is investigating Lotta Harala's doping case - it is suspected that she violated her ban|date=2 March 2021}}
She competed at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul.{{cite web|website=World Athletics|accessdate=19 June 2024|url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7147641?eventId=10230177|date=2 March 2023|title=European Athletics Indoor Championships}} She lowered her personal best to 12.85 seconds in Switzerland in July 2023.{{cite web|url= https://yle.fi/a/74-20088191|website=yle.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Did Lotta Harala become the EC medal favorite in one shot? The expert opens up about how hard the performance was seen in Espoo|date=11 May 2023}} She competed at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.{{cite web|url= https://www.is.fi/yleisurheilu/art-2000009799189.html|website=is.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Reetta Hurske slammed the slander - "What are two assholes doing in the bush?"|date=21 August 2023}}
She competed at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome where she reached the semi-finals.{{cite web|website=World Athletics|accessdate=19 June 2024|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7158244?eventId=10229522 |date=7 June 2023|title=European Athletics Championships}} She competed in the 100m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, reaching the semi-finals.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5853/women-s-100m-hurdles-results-paris-olympic-games-2024-athletics |website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=28 December 2024|title= Women's 100m Hurdles Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics|date=10 August 2024}}
She qualified for the final of the 60 metres hurdles at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, but suffered a bad fall on the first hurdle in the final and did not complete the race.{{cite web|title= Lotta Harala suffered a crippling fall in the European Championship final|accessdate=8 March 2025|url= https://www.iltalehti.fi/yleisurheilu/a/6d7e8854-f3a2-49c1-a406-169604b5ecd8|date=7 March 2025|website=Iltalehti.fi}}
Doping violation
In January 2021, Harala was suspended for three months for a doping violation. A sample given on August 5, 2020 in Espoo contained 5-methylhexan-2-amine (1,4-dimethylpentylamine), classified as a stimulant. She claimed the violation was unintentional and that she had ingested a prohibited substance from a creatine dietary supplement whose product description did not mention the substance and may have had a contaminated production line and had temporarily used her boyfriend's creatine when her stocks ran out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her suspension started in October 2020 and the three-month sentence had been served by January 12, 2021.{{cite web|url= https://yle.fi/a/3-11764356|website=yle.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= What substance was found in Lotta Harala's doping sample? The expert answers questions about the stimulant, which can be secretly found in supplements|date=29 January 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.is.fi/viihde/art-2000008389605.html|website=is.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Lotta Harala opens up about the doping nightmare that cost her tens and tens of thousands of euros - in the end, her mind and body also broke down|date=9 November 2021}} Her coach Matti Liimatainen departed from her support team after the finding.{{cite web|url=https://yle.fi/a/3-11955759|website=yle.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Lotta Harala, who gave a positive doping sample, violated her suspension - survived without a new punishment|date=6 March 2021}}
Personal life
She is from Tampere.{{cite web|url= https://www.iltalehti.fi/yleisurheilu/a/4fde4250-90d5-4398-a26d-841ea6083eed |website=iltehti|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Lotta Harala amazes: "I never thought I would say this out loud"|date=14 May 2024}} She has spoken about suffering from disordered eating after her teenage breakthrough in athletics. She has discussed receiving personal and abusive messages on social media.{{cite web|url=https://www.is.fi/yleisurheilu/art-2000006566754.html|website=is.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Lotta Harala's body was criticized on social media - then the entire mailbox exploded: "Very sick"|date=9 July 2020}}{{cite web|url= https://www.is.fi/urheilulehti/parhaat/art-2000009591813.html|website=is.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Kristiina Mäkelä joined Instagram and was shocked - now athletes are sharing their horror experiences on social media: "Balancing on a knife edge"|date=21 May 2023}}
Her relationship with Matias Myttynen, an ice hockey player, has been followed by TV5's reality television series Lätkä Love. Her Fitness Diary 2021 was included in a television program on the Discovery+ streaming service.{{cite web|url=https://www.seiska.fi/kotimaa/doping-aituri-lotta-harala-karsi-uupumuksesta-paivasta-toiseen-selviytymista/259612|website=Seiska.fi|accessdate=19 June 2024|title= Doping suspect Lotta Harala suffered from exhaustion - Day to day survival!|first=Julia|last=Roine|date=4 August 2022}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harala, Lotta}}
Category:Finnish female hurdlers
Category:Sportspeople from Tampere
Category:Athletes from Pirkanmaa
Category:Finnish Athletics Championships winners
Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Finland
Category:21st-century Finnish sportswomen
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic athletes for Finland
{{Finland-athletics-bio-stub}}