Star athlete of the Tampere Powerlifting Club Pihla Kaivo-oja21, will appear at the weekend for the first time since the Olympic boxing ring.
He won as the best Finnish Olympic athlete – a skateboarder at the same time Heili Sirviön and a mortar thrower Silja Kosonen with – fifth in Paris.
The 44th boxing Tammer tournament is the ranking tournament of the new World Boxing Association. The national teams of nine countries come to Pyynik to compete for medals and ranking points.
This time, a record number of female boxers are participating in the traditional tournament.
Kaivo-oja, who rose to the attention of the Finnish sports community with good Olympic performances in late summer, will present his skills to the Tampere audience in the 50-kilogram category.
– Nothing much has changed here. I’m going to do my own thing, it’s great to get the autumn season going at home.
Pihla Kaivo-oja has been a full-time athlete since December 2022. In addition to the 6,000-euro grant from the Ministry of Education and Culture, she has received 3,000-euro top sports support this year.
In addition, he received a 10,000-euro scholarship from the Olympic Committee’s main partner in September. The scholarship was awarded to an athlete who has acted as a trend setter by his own example.
The release highlighted the fact that Kaivo-oja refused money from the IBA, the International Boxing Association, which is strongly linked to Russia. The IBA had promised a cash bonus of more than 9,000 euros for a place in the quarterfinals of the Olympics.
– Straightforwardness is a really important value for me. Maybe the credit and confidence in my own work have strengthened even more after the Olympics. I know this is really my thing.
Focus on boxing, Teuronen in the background
Coach Maarit Teuronenwho has coached Finland to two of the last three Olympic medals, is still in the spotlight when it comes to what his protégé is doing.
– Maarit is very good at optimizing an athlete’s affairs. The conditions are fine, and I can work in peace. The collaboration works, and I don’t have to stress about any external issues. I can keep the focus on the essentials and enjoy what I do every day, Kaivo-oja is happy.
Early autumn has been filled with exercises after a small rest period.
– I have started training well, strengthened my own strengths and at the same time the qualities that need to be developed based on Paris. After all, it’s been a long time since fighting here, so it’s about time to get in the ring.
This year there are more female boxers in Tammer than before.
– Tactics are refined according to the opponent. I’m looking forward to tough matches, because they develop the most and are the most developing in terms of the future. At this level, you have to get into tough places to get ahead in your career.
Growing into a top athlete
Kaivo-oja started boxing at the age of 14 and practiced it before team gymnastics. Due to injuries, I had to consider changing the sport.
– Juha-my father’s father, i.e. my father, had once boxed, the idea to change sport may have come from there. This took off right away, I recommend it to everyone. Team gymnastics provides a good foundation for any sport, as it is such a comprehensive control of the middle body.
Kaivo-oja is a long and reaching boxer in his own league, whose strength is distance control. With his hands and feet working seamlessly, he is able to hit good rhythmic hits from close range as well as from half distance.
– I feel that my journey is only at the beginning. There’s a lot to learn, and I’m sure I’ll never be done with it.
Kaivo-oja reminds us that growing into a top athlete is a daily process.
– It’s training, eating, rest and optimizing all these things. There is a place for screens in the race ring. After all, this is a dream life, there is nothing else I would like to do at the moment. I am grateful that I can fully focus on boxing.
The Tampere native has his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
– Four years goes by quickly. It is quite a relevant idea to look up to that point. At this point, you have to do routine work with motivation.
A role model and inspiration for young people
The success of Paris has been well reflected in Kaivo-oja’s everyday life.
– I have received really heartwarming messages. I must have been a role model for other young people and they have excitedly watched my matches on TV – maybe even got excited about the sport. It’s a great thing if I can get even one young person to the boxing gym or any kind of exercise.
The boxing promise left a lot of lessons, concrete things and wonderful experiences from the Olympics.
Kaivo-oja, who used to live in Kangasa, is overjoyed to be able to fight in his current hometown.
– The Tammer tournament is a really great event, where I have been involved in the talks since the beginning and also watched how Mira Potkonen and other Finns compete against international tough names.
– It has a really big place in my heart. It’s great that now I get to go up there myself. At least my own family will come to watch the matches, but hopefully a few others too, Kaivo-oja smiles.