What happens when two elite athletes step outside their comfort zones and into each other’s sport?
In a special collaboration between the Kaleva Games and Secto Rally Finland, hurdler Nooralotta Neziri and FIA World Rally Championship co-driver Janni Hussi traded roles for a day. The result was a unique challenge that highlighted the speed, precision and adaptability required at the highest level of sport.
Neziri is one of Finland’s leading track and field athletes. A European Championship finalist and one of the fastest 100-metre hurdlers in Finnish history, she has built her career on explosive speed, impeccable timing and technical excellence.
Hussi, meanwhile, has established herself as one of Finland’s best-known rally co-drivers. Competing at the highest level of rallying, her role demands exceptional concentration, split-second decision-making and flawless communication under pressure. In rallying, success is often determined by precision measured in fractions of a second.
While athletics and rallying may seem worlds apart, they share many of the same foundations. Success in both disciplines relies on reaction speed, consistency, physical and mental preparation, and the ability to perform under intense pressure.
That is exactly why the role swap proved so fascinating.
Neziri took her place in the co-driver’s seat of a rally car, while Hussi stepped onto the athletics track to take on the challenge of sprint hurdles. Despite having no competitive background in each other’s sport, both athletes performed impressively. Their ability to adapt so quickly is a testament to the qualities that define elite performers: discipline, determination, competitive instinct and the capacity to learn new skills at a high level.
The collaboration brings together two of Finland’s premier sporting events – the Kaleva Games and Secto Rally Finland – while demonstrating that, regardless of the discipline, the qualities required for success at the top level are often remarkably similar.
Watch the video to see how Nooralotta Neziri handled the demands of rally co-driving and how Janni Hussi fared on the hurdles track when speed met precision.
