Kalle Koljonen will start his contract at the European Badminton Championships on Tuesday. The Finn last won the European Championship bronze, now the biggest challenge is probably in the first round in the form of the Dutch Mark Caljouw.
The number one name in Finnish badminton Kalle Koljonen competed in 2021 in three championships. In addition to a wealth of experience, the Finn was left with one medal for those competitions.
During the current year, the Finnish badminton player has not rested on his laurels. After a year filled with the European Championships in doubles, the Olympics and the World Championships, the Finn has toured the world in training camps and tournaments. He has previously set to play in world tour tournaments in India and South Korea this year.
Last year, Koljonen made a sensational European Championship bronze medal at the World Championships in Kiev, Ukraine, bowing to the world’s No. 1 and training partner in the semi-finals of Denmark. To Viktor Axelsen. Axelsen, who has since won Olympic gold, has become a Finnish training partner with whom he last trained in Dubai in January. At the same time, the Finn also got to train a Singaporean who won the World Cup Loh Kean Yew’n with.
– I can swear that the world will not be as hard a training club as I was there, Koljonen is eagerly answering about the Spanish capital Madrid to Sport for a video call.
– In two weeks you will notice the quality you got from training. I was able to see how much training with the world’s tops was and how hard they train. All the information I got from the top level of the world is a good learning material for me, Koljonen describes.
“Farting” familiar opponent
The opening champion of the Finnish European Championships, Holland, also took part in the training camp Mark Caljouw. Koljonen admits that the tough Dutchman still has a slight advantage over him, as Caljouw has won him in various competitions three times. The last time Caljouw took the duel in December 2021 in the second round of the World Cup. What makes the losses sharper is that everyone has settled in three installments.
– Each of our matches has been tight. That is, to put it bluntly! I hope to be able to turn the match here for myself right now, even if I have such a tough opponent in the first round.
The first match is also decisive for the construction of the continuation of the Games. If Koljonen is able to cover Caljouw, who was pre-ranked fourth in the European Championships, the road to medal games will be better open.
– We have considered that if I can overthrow him, the way forward will be much easier when viewed at the level of other competitors. If I can move on from the opening round, the medal games at my own level will be very close, he estimates.
Koljonen says that he will go to the competition with good mood and preparation. He believes in his potential for medals, but he must maintain his own offensive style of play regardless of the game.
– I feel like I’m not a basic player and therefore I have to keep my own “more special” style. That idea has strengthened in me year after year.
Koljonen describes that he was not on the field a few years ago completely with himself on the field.
– Maybe I tried too much of everything else, and it didn’t feel right. When I noticed it myself, I decided to be on my own field and play in a way that makes me feel good. And surprisingly, when he starts playing as he feels good, he also begins to better understand the game and what’s going on on the field, he opens up his change.
“It’s useless for me to change my game tactics”
The surprise bronze that arrived at the last European Championships brought Koljonen to the attention of the Finnish sports nation. He himself considers the steady quality of his performance to be the main reason for the success of his surprise.
– It was one of the first moments when my game felt the most natural and completely my own.
Koljonen feels liberated a bit as the way he plays has adapted to his own. The reasons for wins and losses are also easier to outline, as not every new aspect of the game needs to be over-analyzed as before.
– I lose or I win, I can go on with every match. There’s no need to be scratching your temples after a match, that’s how it happened here now. Knowing what you have done with your own way of playing is easier to learn. I recognize my mistakes and understand how to fix them.
The Finnish badminton player has been able to perform steadily against the world’s top 20 players and fight hard in his matches. Koljonen’s own ranking in the world rankings is currently 67th. In the last European Championships medal, Denmark decided on a big semi-final win Rasmus Gemke against who was ranked third in the Games and ranked 12th in the world rankings.
– The annoying side has been that now after the European Championships, those big struggles have turned into meager losses. I still don’t worry about it. Even if there are such meager losses, it is pointless for me to change my game tactics. It has won a medal and results against the world’s tops, Koljonen says.
– Even at the top of the world, there will be more difficult episodes. You just have to rely on that work, but that ketchup bottle will still explode.