Snowboarding Paralympic winner Matti Suur-Hamari coaches future Finnish medal hopefuls.
Joel Sippola,
Petri Sjöblom
Winner of two Paralympic gold medals in snowboarding Matti Suur-Hamari ended his own sports career two years ago. At the Summer Games in Paris, he is feeling the atmosphere in the role of a spectator.
Suur-Hamari arrived on site on Tuesday.
– From there, straight to watching para basketball. It was really great to watch France vs. USA. The hall was full to the last seat and there was an incredible atmosphere. Unbelievable feeling, Suur-Hamari sets the mood.
In Paris, Suur-Hamari is encouraging, among other things, a track winder Leo-Pekka Star. Tähti won bronze in the T54 class in the 100-meter windsurfing.
They have both been coaching a group called Future Stars.
– Whenever possible, we get to camps and sparring. It is important to talk to young athletes about their future dreams and how to pursue them.
New peaks for parasnowboarding?
Suur-Hamari achieved four Paralympic medals and three World Championship golds during his career. He does coaching work at the Ruka-Vuokatti sports academy. He works with hungry young snowboarders.
According to Suur-Hamar, there are some promising Finns in parasnowboarding who could become tough players in the top sports.
– Recruitment is being done and a path is being created for the stars of the future. It will probably take a few years, but hopefully new parasnowboarders are coming.