Aino-Kaisa Saarinen has many good memories of Siiri “Äitee” Rantanes. Saarinen especially remembers Rantanen’s special advice for sick skiers.
Anu Karttunen,
Pertti Lappalainen
A pioneer of Finnish women’s sports Siiri Rantanen left a strong imprint on Finnish skiing. Multiple world champion Aino-Kaisa Saarinen remembers “Mother’s” heartwarming stories and the good news of exercise.
Rantanen’s importance to female athletes has been great, because she refused to back down or give up in her career. Saarinen also respected this trait.
– The road has been cleared. He took the side of us female athletes and demanded the same rights for us female athletes as male athletes had. He grasped the situation, intervened and hit the table with his fist, Saarinen said.
Rantanen was once a top athlete, but he was in good shape even after his sports career. Saarinen remembers that he often bumped into Rantanen on the slopes of Salpausselä, and Rantanen was by no means skiing on the plain at that time.
– The joy and good news of exercise passed on to him until the very end, although of course the leg amputation slowed his pace at the end. When I saw him last summer at the Lahti GP, he was still in good shape, Saarinen recalled.
Rantanen’s left leg had to be amputated in January 2021 due to circulatory problems.
According to Saarinen, Rantanen always encouraged female skiers, and he vividly remembers a special piece of advice that Äitee gave before the World Ski Championships in Oslo in 2011. At that time, the women’s team had been sick.
– Siiri asked what makes you sick at work girls? He always had a bottle of cognac under his bed. “If you take it, you will stay healthy!” He had quite cheerful and funny stories.
The documentary about Siiri Rantase, Äitee – Sisulla to win, will be shown on TV2 next week, Saturday 13 May at 17:15 after the Superpesis match.