Pihla Kaivo-oja, 21, had time to impress at the Paris Olympics. Juha Kaivo-oja said that he has not spoken to his daughter once during the Games.
Paris Olympics on channels 26.7.–11.8. Go to the competition website here. You can find the entire program of the games here.
PARIS. The most Finnish comet of the Olympics so far Pihla Kaivo-oja got to experience a Turkish screamstorm when fighting for a medal in the women’s 50 kg quarter-final, the superstar Buse Naz Cakiroglu against. Throughout the match, Buse and Turkki shouts could be heard loudly in the Arena.
When Cakiroglu was announced as the winner, the crowd erupted into loud cheers in honor of the Turk.
As Cakiroglu walked to the interview point, huge Buse shouts could be heard from behind the interview wall. When you peeked behind the wall, a double-digit number of Turks had time to congratulate the boxer.
Cakiroglu now has a 20 match winning streak. He has last lost in the final of the previous Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The Turk did not stop at the electronic media interview station, but gave comments to the press writing in his country.
Turkish journalists told Urheilu what Cakiroglu had said in the interview. He was reportedly worried at the beginning of the match against Kaivo-oja, but then got up to speed. The Turk won the match with a unanimous decision of the judges 5–0.
According to the country’s journalists, the huge emotional reaction of the Turks was explained by the shock defeat. Earlier on Saturday, the reigning 66-kilogram Olympic champion Busenaz Sürmeneli had lost in his own quarter-final and remained without a medal.
Watch the highlights of Kaivo-oja’s quarter-final match:
Now the Turkish supporters could breathe a sigh of relief when the Finnish promise could not cause the same to Cakiroglu.
For him, the victory in Kaivo-oja was one step towards his big dream, an Olympic victory. According to Turkish journalists, Cakiroglu was in tears after his loss in the Tokyo final, and now he does not want the same thing to happen again.
An incredibly hard performance from a 21-year-old Finn
Kaivo-oja said that he did not come to Paris to participate, but to succeed. The fresh Finnish promise received consolation from the leader of the race team Leena Paavolainen and the race priest From Leena Huovinen.
Kaivo-ojas, representing the Tampere powerlifting club, could have become the youngest Finnish woman ever with medals at the Summer Olympics.
Kaivo-oja’s father Juha watched the young boxer’s moves on the spot with great pride.
– A very hard tournament for a 21-year-old dirt. Great guy. Coach Maarit Teuronen has put her in such condition that the branches are removed, Juha Kaivo-oja, who also acts as her daughter’s manager, said.
– Pihla had no signs of tension. What I liked most was that Pihla enjoyed what she was doing.
Media silence is a good solution, father didn’t talk either
The young man from Pirkan has been in the headlines a lot, because he didn’t give any interviews after his victories. The boxing hopeful came before the media only on Saturday after his last fight.
The concentration has been so intense that the daughter hasn’t even talked to her father at all. Only a few messages have been exchanged during the games.
Back in November 2022, it was different. At that time in Kangasalan Sanomat was describedhow father and daughter called each other after every match.
– This was a really good solution. He has kept his thoughts in sports. This is a sports competition in my opinion. Here we focus on sports. You can let your thoughts run wild when you have questions. father said.
He also wanted to correct misunderstandings in the Finnish media caused by the media fast.
– Today it was in the news that Pihla is a pothead. He’s definitely not that. Pihla is a lively and cheerful person. Pihla has given a lot of interviews and will continue to do so.
Watch Pihla Kaivo-oja’s interview:
On vacation after a wild job
Father also reminded that Kaivo-oja’s main career goal is the Los Angeles Olympics in four years. Then Pihla Kaivo-oja will be 25 years old.
According to his father, the boxer, who had his first boxing match at the age of 14, still has the potential to develop a lot.
– Pihla is still really inexperienced as a boxer.
As a manager, Juha’s father has collected money for his daughter for boxing. The budget for the Olympic season has been 30,000 – 40,000 euros, of which 13,000 euros have been support money from the Olympic Committee and the Boxing Association.
Father hasn’t been able to think that far yet about how promising Olympic performances can help in acquiring supporters.
– Now I’m just waiting for that bastard to go on vacation. He has weighed a long year. At Christmas, there were a couple of bad days. Last summer there was maybe a week of vacation, father reminds us of the realities.