Badminton player Kalle Koljonen commented on the controversy surrounding the Olympic selection on Radio Suomen Urheiluilla and told what kind of goals he is going to Paris with.
One can only guess if there would be a badminton player Kalle Koljonen, 30, is going to represent Finland at the Paris Olympics this summer, if he hadn’t run amok on the side of the court during his father’s badminton practice when he was under school age. The badminton player, seen for the second time in the five-ring games, recalled Thursday on Radio Suomen Urheiluilla, laughing, how he ended up with the sport 25 years ago.
– I was pretty upset and I was just running around there, and the girl couldn’t focus on her own playing at the same time that I was running around. Then he saw that there was such a mini lock at the same time. He put me there so he could focus on his own playing, Koljonen said.
– I went there a couple of times, and the mini badminton instructors saw that my hand-eye coordination worked and I hit the ball quite well. Then they asked if I would be interested in more. Then it was a couple of times a week, and it went from there.
Controversy arose over the Olympic selection
Although talent and training have made Koljos the top of Finland, it was not entirely obvious that he would qualify for this year’s Olympics. In the spring, there was a little controversy about the choice of the representative, because Finland has one place in badminton at the Games, but two athletes eligible for selection. In addition to Koljonen, he is also 21 years old Joakim Oldorff was nominated for the Games.
In the Olympic ranking, Koljonen was slightly higher than Oldorff, but Oldorff advanced to the semi-finals at the European Championships. In the end, the Olympic Committee confirmed the proposal of the Finnish Badminton Association to select Koljonen.
In an interview with Radio Suomen Urheiluilla, Koljonen said that there was stress and uncertainty in the air when the athletes had to wait for an answer.
– It’s not optimal preparation to have question marks in the back of your head all the time, subconsciously. It’s hard.
Despite that, Koljonen was confident that he would be elected.
– My team said to trust this process, let’s go with the fact that we are going to Paris, and that’s how we train, Koljonen said, but was positive that Finland would have two eligible athletes.
The ranking takes into account the 10 best results from each competitor. Even before the qualifiers started, Koljonen had decided that he would do less competition and train more during the Olympic year. Koljonen reflected that the difference to the fiercest domestic competitor could have been greater in the ranking table if he had competed more.
– Some athletes who compete in these Olympic qualifiers compete in almost 30 races. Then when they finally make it to the Olympics, they are mentally and physically exhausted. And when the right time comes to play the Olympics, they are finito (Fin. at the end), and everything has already been given to get there. I already decided before the Olympic qualification that I don’t want to make that mistake.
Not everything is new in Paris anymore
At the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021, Koljonen won his opening match, but the day ended in the second game of the first group, where he lost to Denmark, who celebrated Olympic gold at the end of the Games To Viktor Axelsen. Koljonen recalls that the Games were “a dream come true”. The experience was also made unique by the fact that, due to the corona pandemic, the games were played without an audience.
Based on previous experience, the upcoming trip to Paris will be easier.
– Knows what to expect. The Olympic Village and everything is no longer new and wonderful. Of course, it’s a different town and everything, but it’s easier to go there. Plus here he is a couple of years older and more experienced. I’m quite relaxed by nature, so even when it was the first races, I didn’t let things bother me so much.
At the end of May, when the h-moment was still two months away, Koljonen was not excited about the upcoming competition trip. However, the goals were already known.
– After Tokyo, I set a goal that I would at least get through the group. Then I would be in the top 16. I would be really happy with that, Koljonen said.