Kumparelaskija Severi Vierelä, 23, achieved a rare top 3 position in Finland’s former successful sport. He and Olympic champion Janne Lahtela have an interesting connection.
One long Finnish sports streak finally ended on Friday. Young Severi Vierelä finished third in Georgia in Finland’s former success sport in the tumbling.
It was the Finns’ first World Cup podium finish in the sport since the beginning of 2009. At that time Tapio Luusua was another. In between Jimi Salonen was second in pairs in 2016.
Janne Lahtela is the Olympic champion in tumbling from 2002. Vierelä has an interesting connection, because they both come from Kemijärvi.
Lahtela, who currently acts as Japan’s head coach, did not witness Vierelä’s feat. Unusually.
– In the last 35 years, I had seen every World Cup race on the spot. I missed this trip because of pneumonia, but I watched it at home. Of course, along with work, because I can do coaching work, even if I wasn’t on site, says Lahtela, who is already feeling better.
Not much of a trainer
Lahtela, who turned 50 in February, knows Vierelä well.
– I have seen Severin at the water jump in Kemijärvi already in the early stages of his career. He’s always been a talented guy.
Lahtela describes the younger Kemijärvi kumper calculator as a happy vessel. Vierelä is known as a really potential scorer, but there is room for improvement in his work ethic.
Vierelä was fifth in the 2021 World Junior Championships. In recent years, he has suffered from injuries.
– Severi rose with talent, but was not the hardest working trainer. However, that has changed in the last few years. The child’s roundness has left his cheeks and he has received rye on his wrist. It can now be seen in the results, the cheerful Lahtela says.
Vierela can be considered a real talent. The potential has slowly materialized through hard work.
– Everyone’s enthusiasm for training goes at a different time. He noticed that he can be in the top 3 in the world. It only fuels the enthusiasm for training.
– You can’t say that he would have made it with gifts alone. Bump landing is such a demanding sport that you cannot compete at the World Cup level without training. Training has become more professional for him.
Dad’s funny throw
Lahtela remembered Vierelä with a congratulatory message.
– In the freestyle world, there is a group of friends from all countries. There is no regret when an athlete from another country succeeds. Vice versa. I’ve been waiting for something like this from Sever for a while.
Lahtela is impressed by the attitude of Vierelä and his background troops. He heard from Vierelä’s father a funny throw somersault at the opening of the World Cup in Ruka.
– The television director asked who should be considered here. Severi’s father threw that Severi is at least in the top 6. When you keep that name in mind, that’s enough. The gang laughed at that.
– It tells about the attitude. Even though there were no medals yet, the home crowd had strong faith. However, it stuck, because already at Ruka he was close to a medal.
Vierelä was a promising sixth in the opening race in Ruka.
More Finnish successful people?
The Freestyle World Championships will be held in Engadine, Switzerland in March. Lahtela sees that Vierelä has possibilities for anything in the future.
Based on the early season, it still seems that Vierelä can fight for the super final, i.e. among the top six. Even though it’s still only one podium place, Vierelä’s success means a lot to the Finnish vaulter.
Lahtela, Sami Mustonen, Lauri Lassila, Mikko Ronkainen and Luusua brought great success to Finland in the 1990s and early 2000s. There were Olympic medals and World Cup success.
Back in the 2005–2006 Olympic season, nine World Cup podium places were lost in the vault. No less than four Finns were reaching them.
From the same winter, Finland’s last Olympic medal in somersault was won, when Ronkainen won silver against Australia in Turin by Dale Begg-Smith after.
After those years, it has been quiet for a long time. Lahtela sees that there has now been a comprehensive leap forward in the Finnish hump calculation.
For example Olli from Penttala have seen good declines in recent years. Lahtela also mentions Axis of Åhvenainen the name.
The situation has similarities to the eras of Lahtela, Mustonen and partners.
– Success breeds more success and others gain more self-confidence. It’s a cool thing when a training buddy gets on the podium. If that can be done, why can’t I.