Eetu Kallioinen, Tommi Takanen and Timi Vallioniemi won the team skeet shooting competition at the European Games in Poland on Tuesday, when they defeated Italy in the gold match. One Italian also celebrated Finland’s victory, because the national team is coached in the boot country Pietro Genga.
In his own career, Genga won the skeet world championships in the individual competition and the team competition in Tampere 1999, and has coached several prestigious competition medalists.
According to the Finnish shooters, the experienced and demanding coach, who took the helm of the national team at the beginning of 2021, is a significant factor behind Tuesday’s victory.
– Pietro is an iron professional whose expertise is freezing. He is a really great person and person, who makes sure that everything is finished, Kallioinen describes.
According to Takanen, Genga strives to strictly perform the best possible performances on the track in order to reach the world’s top level.
– Yesterday we beat the Italian team, which had World Cup medalists and an Olympic champion shooting against us. I guess we have momentarily reached the top, at least in that single competition, Takanen estimates.
The Italian team included famous skeet Olympic gold medalists from Rio Gabriele Rosetti and the World Championship winner of the team competition Tammaro Cassandro.
– Genga has kicked each of us forward as shooters. I have to say that the medal is thanks to our coach. We have worked hard with him to make it possible to do such performances, says Vallioniemi.
The skeet team competition is on the sports program of the World Championships, but the team competition is not on the program of the Olympics.
At the World Championships, Finland last won medals in the team competition in 2009, when it won silver in Maribor. World Championship gold came in 1998 in Barcelona with a trio Timo Laitinen, Janne Himanka, Jani Eklund.
A world record and a medal around my neck to take home
The Finnish team competition got off to a flying start when the trio reached a new world record score of 222 in qualifying. Kallioinen shot a score of 74 (25+25+24), Vallioniemi 73 (25+25+23) and Takanen a full 75 (25+25+25).
So everyone shot the first two rounds perfectly. According to the men, it did not bring additional pressure, although no one wanted to be the first to fail.
– On the other hand, there are sometimes misses in the sport, the world wouldn’t have fallen on that, says Kallioinen.
Takanen says that he realized the opportunity for the ME result at the last shooting position.
– Each of us had two shots left. At that point, the calculator realized that we have three bombs and the old record was shot with four bombs by the Italians. I knew that when all the pucks were broken, a world record would be obtained. Yes, it seemed like a big deal.
– This was the sixth time in my life that I am in a full 75-point series competition. They haven’t exactly come off the conveyor belt. Of course it’s exciting, especially the last shots, to get it ticking. But there was no insurmountable tension.
In the final, Finland got off to a sticky start and took three missed shots from first place.
– I shot a double bomb from the first stool to the second double puck. The first two points were lost to Italy. After that it went well and I was pulling the anchor section. On the last stool, I knew the situation, that if I get all the discs, then this is a clear game. It was really exciting to shoot. Fortunately, that double bomb came at the beginning and not the end, Kallioinen describes the moments of the solution.
– The cassette held up really well for me. I had a perfect performance in the final, I didn’t miss a single puck. It worked out well. Was able to help and carry the team to victory, says Vallioniemi.
The medal was Finland’s second in shooting. Kallioinen finished third in Sunday’s individual skeet competition. The double medalist is satisfied with his competition contract.
– The fact that I would have liked to get that Olympic place is a bit etched in the personal competition. It should have been shot really well. This time, the gravel was not enough.
Sweden won the men’s skeet at the Olympic venue Erik Marcus Svenssonwho won the individual race at the European Games.
– We rarely go home from the Games with two medals. The second medal is still gold and ME result on top. Such trips are not made very often, says Kallioinen.