Finnish judo star Martti Puumalainen has returned the sport to Finns’ awareness with this year’s Masters tournament win and European championship. 30 years had passed since the last judo competition medal before Puumalainen’s EC gold.
According to Puumalainen, his success and that of other Finnish judokas gives the sports community a reason to be proud.
– I would dare to say that now the gang can boldly say that they are judokas and be proud of their sport. I remember when I was bored, the group didn’t really know what judo was. Now, if a ten-year-old tells the class that he practices Judo, the group at least knows “Marasonni”.
“Marasonni” is Puumalainen’s nickname.
Salminen threw Ahonen on the canvas
Puumalainen stopped by the Sports Studio on Saturday, among other things, to act as a presenter To Riku Salminhow to do a correct judo throw.
Urheilu’s expert and former mountain eagle became the guinea pig Janne Ahonen.
– You just grab the sleeve, one hand on the back. Then you bring your hip forward and bend your legs a little. Now you just throw Janne into it, Puumalainen instructed.
With Puumalainen’s instructions, Ahonen swung the tatami in a graceful arc.
– Ohh, it started easily, Salminen wondered.
The man from Puuma was eager to praise Salmi as a natural talent.
– Did it hurt? I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, Salminen asked Ahosen.
– It didn’t happen. It was nice to fly, the hill man said.
Tactics and manners
In judo, small size is not necessarily a disadvantage.
– In the sport, you have to use your opponent’s strength to your advantage. If the other person pushes, I shouldn’t push back, but throw it at myself then. It is the A and O of everything, says Puumalainen.
Polite manners also essentially belong to the species. Puumalainen says that judo is not only a top sport but also a way of education.
– We want to get better citizens who are good people.
And how does judo’s mentality, lifestyle and upbringing fit into ski jumping?
– Of course, I belong to the old school, when manners were respected. Today’s youth may have a little to learn from that, Ahonen said.
At the absolute top of the world
The Puumainen’s top season has put him in the top tier of the world. Work has been done, but there is still more to come.
– Yes, I dare to say that I am currently at the absolute top of the world. Of course, there are still different levels, but I give my all every day to someday be the absolute best in the world in judo, Puumalainen said firmly.
A lot has happened in one year. Puumalainen, who became the first Finn ever to win the Masters tournament, feels that he even got too excited earlier when the absolute top of the world came up against him.
– Last November, when that peak was already close, I maybe even got too excited about it and then there was a kind of down period. Last spring, I wondered if anything would come of all this, Puumalainen times.
– That Masters victory came a bit unexpectedly, but I went to the European Championships with a gold medal in my eyes. I knew what my level was. In other words, success finally came the way it was supposed to, but in a slightly different way than I thought.
The World Cup was the necessary turning point for Puumalainen. He finished the spring games in two minutes. There was a place to look in the mirror in front.
– It was absolutely huge (a turning point). It was a kind of stopping place. However, then it was clearly decided that this would be an upswing, he recalls.