Whatever the journey, setting a Finnish record is always interesting if it’s a question Jani Sievinen For breaking the Finnish record. In November 2021, the Finnish sports media got to buzz about the swimmer by name Ronny Brännkärr. He had broken Sievinen’s 100m medley SE.
Sievinen’s record of 53.10 remained the Finnish record for the distance for no less than 25 years. Brännkärr broke the record by 13 hundredths. Since then, the swimmer in his twenties has improved his SE rating several times. The most recent of them was 52.28 last week at the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne.
Sievinen, who has known Brännkärri very well for a long time, was happy when the Finnish record in the 100-meter medley went down in history a year ago.
Sievinen won the world championship (1999) and two World Championship silver medals (2000 & 2002) on that trip. The 100 meter medley is only on a short course.
– In our time, it was a bit of a filler sport. We focused on the 200 and 400 meter medley. There were no special men in the 100m medley, but now that the sport has been around for longer, there have been, says Jani Sievinen, the 200m medley long course world champion and Olympic silver medalist.
Sievinen’s former ME time is still far away
Brännkärr, who competed in his second short course World Championships last week, also set his record in the 200 meter medley. He improved his record by more than a second with a time of 1:55.33. Also on this trip, he approaches Sievinen’s short course Finnish record (1:54,65).
On the long track, Brännkärri’s main event is the 200-meter medley, which the young man invests in more and more all the time. Brännkärri’s record in the long course (2.03.82) is still far from the Finnish record of 1.58.16 set by Sievinen at the 1994 World Championships in Rome.
Sievine’s record was once an international top time, as it was the world record for almost nine years. It was broken by a swimming legend Michael Phelps.
– Every swimmer, like Ronny, knows that success on a long course is the most valuable of all. In Ronny’s training, everything is aimed at making 200 meters the main distance in the future as well.
– The 100-meter medley has become a by-product for him. Although he has broken Finnish records in it, he is by no means specialized in it. Training is aimed at 200 meters.
Sievinen says that the 200 meter medley is different in the long and short course. Brännkärri’s strength is working underwater. It gets into its rights better on a short track when there are more turns.
Brännkärr currently lives in Tampere, where he trains with the famous Jere Jännens in the training group.
– On a short track, he can get pretty close to the Finnish record and even break it. A long track is a different matter. A long course requires more fitness. That’s why their training is based on building fitness and 200 meters.
Fascinating conversations
Sievinen has been the coach of Brännkärr, who is from Kemi, and his previous coach Marja-Leena Viinamäki sparring help. Sievinen says that he went to meet the duo a few times at the coach’s invitation.
Sievinen says that he did not actually advise Brännkärri, but had good development discussions with Viinamäki.
– He and I sat at the table for a long time and went through the means by which Ronnya could move forward. It was based on what work had already been done. He was such a wise coach that he knew how to pick up the right things.
Sievinen emphasizes that Viinamäki and Brännkärr have done the work that the talented athlete has done to get to this point. Viinamäki already had good knowledge.
– We have had exceptionally extensive and excellent discussions. He has been really enthusiastic, receptive and experimental.
Sievinen, who once lectured in Japan, says that Viinamäki’s receptive coaching style is rare in Finnish swimming circles.
– I have the impression that too little general information is shared in Finland. Quite concrete information, such as related to training. Swimming is certainly not the only sport. For example, in athletics, there is quite a lot of activity in one’s own circles, Sievinen sees.
Mattsson and Liukkonen’s successor?
Matti Mattsson29, and Ari-Pekka Liukkonen, 33, have been the top international swimmers in Finnish men’s swimming for years. However, the next top-level swimmer hasn’t come to the men’s side in ages.
Sports expert for Sievinen and Urheilu Ville Kallinen according to Brännkärr can be the next big factor.
– He is tall and he is technically very good. I think he has a strong training motivation. He also has the ability to withstand pressure, Kallinen estimates.
According to Kallinen, in the 100-meter medley, Brännkärri’s first 50-meter is at the very top of the world.
– The breaststroke section has some small technical issues. If he can better them, Ronny will be World Cup final caliber in the 100m individual medley.
According to Sievinen, the next two years will be critical.
– It really starts to show how effective the training in Tampere has been for the 200 meter medley.
– In the next two years, it would be good to see a big time development. The older you get, the harder it is to make big leaps, Sievinen knows.