Coach Hannu Kangas says that the athlete’s preparation has gone well. The chances of an Olympic medal at the age of 43 are good.
13:12•Updated 13:29
In Ostrobothnia, you can get really excited on Friday evening, when you’re from Laihia Teijo Köpikkä competes from 8:10 p.m. in the Paralympic shot put final. In the sport, there is no qualification at all, but the ball is competed directly as a final.
Kööpikkä is the only athlete from Ostrobothnia at the Paralympics.
Currently, the 43-year-old man representing Rauma Urheiliiita competes in the F57 class, where the ball is pushed from a chair.
The athlete’s background is exceptional: in 1999, he reached the bronze medal at the 20-year-old European Championships in good health, and great things were expected from the slim man. In the best years, the ball flew closer to 19 meters.
Then life changed completely.
All new
At the age of 24, Kööpikka was diagnosed with spinal muscular degeneration of the legs. It took the effort and strength from the back of the legs.
The longing for the racing fields remained, and in 2023 Kööpikä became a para athlete. In the same year, the first competition medal was already awarded.
– Teijo’s story is quite extraordinary. Quite a lot of people who are disabled in one way or another have a sports or athletics background. Teijo’s competitive level when he was uninjured was really tough. It gives a hugely good foundation for the sport, says Kööpikä’s coach, who has been coaching for a long time Hannu Kangas.
According to Kanka, the athlete’s technique has not had to be greatly interfered with.
– That’s at the heart of it. However, it has been pushed to European Championship medals in its youth, he points out.
Teijo Kööpikkä won the World Championship bronze a year ago. This is how he commented on his performance in an interview with .
Aiming for a medal
The duo has been on location in Paris for quite some time. According to the coach, everything has gone well.
– The H-moment is waiting soon. There will be a tight competition and a medal is the goal, it requires a good performance.
In practice, one’s own record is required for a medal, i.e. at least the Finnish record, and there is no harm in the European record either. Kööpikä’s own record before tonight is 14.80. Exceeding the fifteen meters needed for a medal.
– Based on the statistics of the season, the best push at the beginning. Teijo seems to be in order as the vito of the group. In advance, the hardest throwers are ahead of Teijo. Everything is fine, the man is in good shape and there are good expectations for the competition, Kangas analyzed.
The biggest advance favorite for the evening’s final is Iran Yashin Kroshaviwho holds the F57 class world record of 16.01. There are two athletes from Europe in the final: Kööpikkka and Franskan Vitolio Kavakava.
– There are a couple of early favorites in the final, and after that a bunch of athletes, including Teijoki.
The chair is important
Hannu Kangas is an experienced coach who is especially remembered for his cooperation Tero Pitkämäki with. In Kööpikä’s series, the athletes push from a chair, so many things have to be taken into account when preparing.
That’s where the equipment custodian will be of essential help From Kari Tuome.
– You can’t find Teijo’s chairs in the store. Kari Tuomi has built each chair by hand, there are a few of them.
There has been a need for a professional, because the rules are strict.
– The chair is precisely defined in the rules. Every height, width and different parts have been carefully considered. You can push with or without a backrest. There are many other variables in the competition format. The athlete is fastened with straps, and they are up to the athlete himself.
The rules of the F57 class also include that the leg or rear must not rise at all during the push.