“The game was lost in that second”

Spring has arrived in Imatra Vuo, when Senni Salminen is visiting his old hometown. There, he wanders through a landscape that more than a hundred years ago was Finland’s most popular tourist attraction. The camera is in standby mode, as usual.

Since childhood, Salminen’s dream has been to become a professional athlete. A more recent dream is to work as a photographer when my sports career ends one day.

Hopefully that will still be a long time.

26-year-old Salminen had his big breakthrough last year when he passed Heli Koivulan To the history of the 17-year-old triple jump Finnish record.

When he started his competitive season last summer, his outdoor track record was 14.04. In his season opener at the Paavo Nurmi Games, he jumped 14.51. And at the European team championships in Romania eleven days later, 14.63.

A new Finnish athletics star had caught fire.

How is it possible to improve your own record by 59 centimeters in such a short time?

When looking at the profit development from the outside, it is easy to conclude the turning point. In autumn 2020, Senni Salminen said in his Instagram post that he had lived in a relationship with a woman for several years.

– In my free time, I’ve never really thought about what others think. But in the world of sports, where traditions prevail, it didn’t feel natural to be myself.

When Salminen finally found himself in situations where he should have lied about his private life, he wanted to get a big burden off his shoulders.

He estimates that about 90 percent of the feedback he has received has been positive. Young athletes have thanked him for coming out and speaking openly about his sexual orientation. It has been beneficial for young people.

Salminen has tried to deal with negative comments with humor. Like last spring’s comment that now sports are going badly when I had to come out of the closet.

– Then I immediately jumped the Finnish record. So it was a bit funny, says Senni with a happy laugh.

**Watch Sportliv’s mini-documentary on Senni Salmista Areena: **

Just a stone’s throw from Senni Salminen’s childhood home in Imatra is the Ukonniemi sports field, in a beautiful location in a tree-lined hollow. When Sportliv’s drone rises over the area, a view of Saimaa opens up and it’s easy to understand why Salminen has been enjoying himself here for 15 years, since the family moved to Imatra when he was 11 years old.

It was at the sports field in Ukonniemi that the sports spark was really ignited, and he still comes here to train a couple of days a week, even though he lives in Helsinki today.

An important reason for that is that Salmista coached for four years Matti Mononen lives in Imatra. Although Mononen is known as a slightly eccentric person, it took more than a year before Senni dared to tell his coach that he had a girlfriend.

He needn’t have worried.

– Senni is really genuine, one of the most genuine people I know. There is always a genuine feeling in what you do, whether in training, competitions or in civilian life, Mononen says about what he coaches.

On this particular day, it’s cool outside and rain is promised, so the exercises will be held indoors in the Sports Hall.

Mononen is known for constantly trying to invent new exercises and methods to help athletes achieve better results – and stay fit. The theme of the day is body control and some of the exercises are completely new to Salmin.

– I like to combine different movements and come up with new combinations. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, Mononen admits.

And even at the top level of sports, you don’t always have to be so serious.

Senn seems to be having fun as he balances on the exercise ball with one leg while swinging the skipping rope from side to side. And when he’s squatting on the balance ball throwing and taking a bite out of the medicine ball. Difficult but fun.

That’s the purpose. When most of the exercises involve raw physical exertion, there must also be fun exercises in between.

In Senn’s childhood home, all his medals, awards, important number plates and accreditation cards are gathered on one wall of his room. And on the shelf next to the window, the small stuffed toys he received as a prize as a junior.

The collection is taken care of by his father, who also collects articles about Senni in a large commemorative book he bought at the flea market.

In the next room is Senn’s height-jumping twin brother Kallen corresponding award collection.

When the twins started competing actively, the family traveled around the country in various competitions and sports became a favorite hobby of the whole family. The parents also fell in love with the second “home” of the Finnish athletes, Monte Gordo in Portugal, where they now have an apartment. That’s where Senni lives when he’s in the camp.

When Senni was born, the family lived in Helsinki, where he has returned as an adult. He spends most of his time in Helsinki.

Senni got his first SLR camera at the age of 14, at the time when the family toured the country most actively, and he wanted to capture what he saw and experienced.

In addition to sports, Salminen has already studied photography and would like to continue in that line.

– If I were to describe sports, I would not focus on the performance itself, but on what happens afterwards. Those reactions and what happens inside a person.

Since it is raining at the Eläintarha sports field in Helsinki, Senni suggests that the next scene of Sportliv be filmed in an underground running tunnel.

There, the photographer-Senn is supposed to take photos of the athlete-Senn and tell what he sees in his target.

– When I see Senni today, I see a self-confident, yet somewhat still looking for herself young woman who has already achieved a lot. Senni could be proud of that more often and be kinder to herself.

The difference to Senn a few years ago is big.

– 3–4 years ago, Senni was really lost. He didn’t dare to be himself and he was afraid to face the whole world.

Repeated injuries, starting depression and great doubts about his own ability and the possibility of reaching the top of the world made Senn seriously consider quitting in the spring of 2019.

Senni has talked openly about her depression and the fact that she is still in therapy.

When he finally started his competition season after the spring 2019 crisis, he immediately improved his own record by a lot.

– That’s when I decided that yes, this card still needs to be looked at.

After a great start to last year’s season, Senni Salminen was suddenly one of Finland’s medal hopes at the Olympics. But in Tokyo, the huge attention paid to both his outstanding performance and his private life won out.

So much had happened in such a short time that my head had not kept up with the pace.

– In each of the three qualifying jumps at the Olympics, it occurred to me that what if I don’t make it to the finals, and the game was lost in that second.

Earlier that summer, the 25-year-old, who had gone from success to success, had lost his confidence and the wrong thoughts took over.

– It felt like the little child was just thrown into something that now you do, and then it’s in dire straits there.

– When the tears were over, I just realized that I wasn’t ready yet.

After last season, Salminen has received tools that help him perform under pressure. Their benefit will be measured this summer in both the World Cup and European Championships.

– This summer, I want to focus on the mental side and see how I can withstand pressure and how I can deal with possibly disturbing thoughts. But above all, I just want to enjoy myself and, of course, make a good result.

And they say big goals have been set for value competitions.

Senni Salminen will compete in the World Championships in the triple jump qualification on Saturday, July 16, starting at 8:30 p.m. The three-point final is on Tuesday 19.7. from 4.20 am.