Jonne Kähkönen the new coach of the Italian women’s biathlon team has got off to a great start. Italian star Lisa Vittozzi showed at the World Cup opening in Kontiolahti that he returned to the sharpest top of biathlon after a break of a couple of years.
Vittozzi leads the overall World Cup after three races. In addition to the third place in the normal distance on Wednesday, Vittozzi took second place in the fast distance on Saturday. He was fourth in the pursuit.
– The last two years have been really difficult for me. I have taken a step forward and I really want to return to the level I was at in 2019, Vittozzi told Urheilu after his first podium place a week.
Vittozzi’s peak season was 2018–19, when he finished second in the overall World Cup race. After that, the development curve pointed downward for a long time. There were two award places in the 2019–20 season, one in the 2020–21 season, and none last season.
Jonne Kähkönen took over as Italy’s women’s coach last spring after coaching the Finnish national team for four years. Kähkönen’s Italy project aims at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The Italian who won the overall World Cup competition in 2019 and 2020 Dorothea Wierer trains outside the national team, so Kähkönen does not coach him.
The 49-year-old Finnish pilot has taken a big responsibility for Lisa Vittozzi’s shooting training.
Many may think that the Finnish coach’s move to Italy and Vitozzi’s return to the top ranks are cause and effect. Kähkönen’s answer is Finnishly humble.
– I have told everyone that you have to remember that Lisa has really experienced and been in tough places before, and is not a beginner in the World Cup. After all, he’s the one who has to shoot and ski. I can say what I say, but the athlete has to take responsibility for doing it himself, Kähkönen tells Urheilu in Kontiolahti.
Vittozzi says that Kähkönen’s style suits him well.
– Jonne is a really good coach for me. He is calm, patient and pushes me forward in every practice.
More staff than in the Finnish national team
As Finland’s head coach, Kähkönen was dissatisfied with the fact that the job included much more than coaching. He informed the management of the Biathlon Union already in the fall of 2021 that he is not interested in negotiating a continuation in the spring.
The things that Kähkönen thought were bad in the Finnish national team are good in Italy.
– There are more staff, so I don’t have to constantly think about what has been left undone. Of course, it calms me down to do my own work and I can give a little more to the athletes. I’ve had a really good time. It has been nice to work with the athletes, but I have also gotten to know the other coaches and maintenance men very well, Kähkönen says.
Merited recommender
Kähkönen’s selection as the Italian women’s pilot was accelerated by a very meritorious man, an Italian who coaches the Norwegian women’s national team Patrick Obereggerwho recommended Kähkö to the Italian Federation.
Oberegger coached the Italian national team before moving to Norway in 2018
– I gave his contact information and I’m happy that they found each other, says Oberegger.
Kähkönen and Oberegger have been good acquaintances for years.
– The truth is that the coaches talk to each other a lot on the bench. Even secrets, Kähkönen laughs.
Oberegger describes Kähkönen’s defeat as a situation where both Kähkönen himself and the Italian national team win.
– I respect him a lot. I believe that Jonne will not regret this, and neither will the Italian team, says Oberegger.
Before joining Italy, Kähkönen coached the Finnish national team twice and also the US women’s national team for a long time.
– I believe that he fits well in the Italian team. He’s been on good teams and not so good teams, so he’s been through a lot of different situations. He is able to cope with difficult situations and keep his feet on the ground with success, Oberegger describes.
In Vittozzi’s shooting, everything is new
Vittozzi missed just one of his 20 shots in Wednesday’s normal distance race. He says that during the training season, the focus has been on shooting, which the Italian star has been missing a bit in recent years.
– We have started shooting practice from the very beginning. I have had to unlearn the old to improve my shooting. Shooting feels good now, Vittozzi says.
According to Kähkönen, Vittozzi’s shooting training started with such a clean slate that even an attentive television viewer can notice the change from before.
– Now he shoots lying down from a different direction than before. It is related to the symmetry of shooting and how he is able to aim and move from one spot to another during the shooting series, Kähkönen opens.
Not all changes are visible from the outside, but Kähkönen’s trained eye is pleased with Vittozzi’s development on the shooting bench.
– Many coaches certainly want to do a bit of their own coaching or modify the shooting position. I have done that too, and certain small changes have been introduced. It seems that we have found that common note, Kähkönen smiles.