According to Urheilu, Lauri Hakola is the new head coach of the Finnish ski jumping national team. Kimmo Savolainen, who is familiar with the combined team, is leaving as a pair.
The last season of Finnish men’s ski jumpers was a huge disappointment in terms of sports, both in the World Cup and in the World Championships in Planica. In the overall World Cup competition, the best man lived Niko Kytösaho ranked 37th.
The overall result was expected to be clearly better after Antti Aalto had performed well at the Beijing Olympics and Eetu Nousiainen after the Games in the World Cup.
A successful trainer from previous years was acquired as a sport director for the harness of the new climbing carriages Mika Kojonkoskiunder whose leadership the sports group’s budget went overboard by around 100,000 euros, as Urheilu recently reported.
Head coach since spring 2020, permanent resident in Japan Janne Väätäinenannounced in the spring that he is leaving his position.
The skiing association told Urheilu on Wednesday that a new old name has been found to succeed Väätäinen, i.e. Lauri Hakola43.
The Master of Sports Sciences from Kuopio already served as head coach from 2018–2020. In 2016–2018, he was the Austrian head coach by Andreas Mitter as the second coach in the A national team.
The ski association’s sport groups meet on Thursday and Friday at the Vuokatti sports college for so-called sports competitions, after which the next season of ski jumping will also be announced to the public.
Hakola, contacted by Urheilu, did not want to confirm his head coaching position on Wednesday.
– Things are at a stage, so to speak. On a general level, my passion is ski jumping and ski jumping coaching.
Tough opening season
On a general level, Hakola stated that the coaching team starting now will get better food than he got in the spring of 2018.
– In the 2018–2019 season, I was the only full-time coach. Yes, it took some time to recover, Hakola laughed.
In the season that ended, he mainly worked with the youth national team, but also worked with the A national team.
Among its jumpers, Hakola coaches Antti Aalto on a personal level and the sport’s brightest future diamond, who won the World Youth Championship gold last winter Vilho Palosaarta.
Hakola is getting an experienced partner Kimmo Savolainen, 48, who last season worked in the Kuopio region as an academy coach, whose salary was paid by e.g. Ski Association and Puijo Ski Club.
Savolainen, who won the World Cup competition at his best as an active jumper, was the head coach of the combined Finnish national team from 2008 to 2012. He has also coached in Italy and Turkey.
What resources?
Savolainen did not deny that he will work for the Finnish mountain team next season, but did not agree to confirm his role.
– It is of course interesting to see the resources. They depend on the Ski Federation’s financial situation and the support decisions of the Olympic Committee.
Eetu Nousiai is coached by Savolainen, one of the top jumpers of the A national team.
A Dutchman who worked as an equipment specialist for the national team Pierre Hartmann moved to South Korea, so new coaching for this sector needs help.
Although coaching the Finnish A national team is no longer as sought-after a job in the ski jumping world as it was 20 years ago, international interest was also found. According to Urheilu, at least those who worked for Slovenian national teams inquired about the marginal conditions Igor Medved.