November 2023, Ruka World Cup.
Many Finns could not understand the cross -country skier Iivo Niskanen Reaction after the men’s 10 kilometer offset race. He had just finished second in second. After all, you can’t be disappointed after such an investment? After all?
Instead of satisfaction, Niskanen saw a completely different emotional reaction. The Finnish man went to congratulate Martin, who came to the finish line Martin Lögström Nyengetdefeated his colleague in the winning battle with a 2.9 second margin.
Immediately after that, Niskanen gave his rods a ride in front of the TV cameras. Some understood a strong outbreak of emotion.
In others, the activities of the Finnish ski king aroused resentment.
Stupid.
Children.
Embarrassing.
What kind of example does this give children who dream of a sports career?
Niskanen’s nearly a year and a half of activities can and may have many opinions. Above all, Niskanen’s reaction reflected his insane desire for victory.
Today, a 33-year-old skier is a rarity in Finnish sports in the fact that he only goes to the Games in his mind. Niskanen is aware of his own abilities as an excellent go -to traditional skiing trip.
Two weeks in the European Championship and World Championship Gold Multi-Master Saga Vanninen Represents the same school as Niskanen.
Niskanen’s example
When it comes to winning and prize-podiums, Finnish top-level sports have dilapidated in the 2000s. In the beginning of the millennium, it was disappointing if the Finnish ski jumper was second instead of victory and no Finnish medal became a Finnish medal.
Today, the fifth place is a tough thing that takes all the annoyance. And it’s not about it wrong.
However, the atmosphere of Finnish top-level sports has become loose. The culture of winning has disappeared.
The winning types are almost invariably different. Also in personality.
In Finland, they still want Olympic winners and world champions, but it is not always understood that individuals of completely exceptional mentality are capable of it.
For winning Niskanen, the standards are in line with it. The actual top fitness is often tuned to one day within a few months of competition.
Personal Olympic winnings in 2018 and 2022 and the World Championship in Lahti in 2017 are complete work samples about it.
Kimi Raikkonen
Saga Vanninen has been used to winning since junior age.
At the age of 16, he won the 7th match of the European Youth Olympic Festival. At the age of 18, the Finnish talent was number one in the same competition season, both in the European Championships and in the Junior World Championships.
The following year, he repeated his youth World Cup gold. In the summer of 2023, he was again a winner of Espoo’s 7-year-old 7th match, even though the Dutch Sofie Docter So he put him in the tightening.
The trademark of the new Finnish winning machine has become the modesty and severity of a multi -fellow player. Already in the youth value race, Vanninen’s match was very real.
He didn’t smile worse. For those who rarely saw Vanninen’s races, his expression even seemed painful. It might have been thought that a Finn is having some trouble. Doesn’t he like to be there?
He has not been more ventilated. Recently, the smile has come off during the match, but the basic look is still serious and real.
Such a vanninen is in matches. Focused and charged for the moment. A admirable feature that produces results.
Vanninen is a young superstar who is never fully satisfied. In the European Championships, after 4,922, the Finn acknowledged that it could have gone better in a couple of sports.
Vanninen makes a mistake in mind something like Kimi Raikkonen. Known as a icebreaker, Formula Ykkösten’s world champion seemed to be pleased with ever. Not even after winning.
Future Olympic champion
In Finnish top sports, the idea that the athlete is at the center is repeated. When the endurance runner Nathalie Blomqvist got an international top agreement and changed the coach, this phrase was forgotten.
Blomqvist and coach Tom Andtbacka They had made a long-term cooperation that culminated last summer at 5,000 meters to the fifth space of the European Championships and the Paris Olympics final.
In social media, Blomqvist’s decision was seen as a nasty trick. Andtbacka himself understood the athlete’s decision. Some forgot that the coach is not at the center of the center.
Vanninen, on the other hand, made a reversible decision in the autumn. He switched to an Olympic champion Erki Noolin coaching.
Too often, in Finnish athletics, the phase of young people’s value racing people strive for the top of adults. The decisive transfer is missed for one reason or another.
There were certainly those in Finland who thought that Vanninen should have stayed in domestic coaching. However, Vanninen, a determined Vanninen, wanted to find something new with his backing team.
Hardly half a year of cooperation produces fruit. The 21-year-old Vanninen has two adult value races, one of the European Championships and one in the World Championships.
Vanninen, who was accustomed to winning the taste, knew that if he wanted to maximize his potential on the adult side, now if he ever had to do big gaming movements for his sports career. Works it whether or not.
At least for his mentality, Saga Vanninen is Finland’s next athletics Olympic champion.