Harry Siitonen's "Sports So Far" [March 2012]

FAR SPORTS For MARCH ISSUE 2112:
The Finnish Sports Editors’ Association awarded World Women’s Biathlon champion Kaisa Mäkäräinen its annual award of Top Finnish Athlete of the Year for 2011 in January. She received 3,205 votes, including 151 first place votes. Cross-country skier Matti Heikkinen was second with 2,453 (121) and the Finnish Men’s National Hockey team won 3rd, 1,578 (48). It was the third year in a row that a woman won the top athlete’s award. For 2010 it was Orienteer Minna Kauppi and in 2009 cross-country skier Aino-Kaisa Saarinen
Finnish sports fans were shocked in January to hear of the death of Enduro world champ Mika Ahola, 37, who died in a Barcelona hospital from surgery following a fall in December. On New Year’s Eve he had announced his retirement from this sport. Riding for the Italian team H.M. Moto, he had won five consecutive world championships in this demanding discipline. Enduro is an off-road motorcycle sport which involves many dilemmas and obstacles. It’s also a time-keeping sport in which the rider needs to arrive at certain interval points at specific time and is penalized points for early or late arrivals.
On the good news side, veteran Finnish tennis star Jarkko Niemiein, 31, won only his second career ATP singles title when he whipped France’s Julien Benneteau (ATP 49) , 6-2, 7-5. in the final of the Sydeny Open Jan. 15. At the time Nieminen held ATP rank 77, and had to play two qualifying rounds before being even allowed to play in the Open. Sydney was a field day for wild cards as all top-ranked seeds were eliminated in the earlier rounds,. Nieminen’s main scalp was highly –ranked Czech Radek Stepanek in the second round, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7, 6-1, who had defeated the Finn at Brisbane the week before. Nieminen’s previous ATP singles win was in Auckland, NZ in 2006. Jarkko and his doubles partner Matthew Elden of Australia also clawed their way to the doubles final at Sydney, before being deposed by the best doubles team in the world, USA’s Bryan twins, Bob and Mike. All this left Nieminen so bushed he was unable to get past the first round in the Australian Open Grand Slam a couple On the boxing front, Juho Haapoja maintained his European Union light-heavyweight crown by decisioning Ireland’s Ian Toms before 2500 fans at Seinäjoki on Jan. 20, The “Härmän Häjy’s´ points: 116-112, 2115-113, 115-113. Finnish women’s upper featherweight Eva Wahlström took Zsofia Bede of Hungary by decision to mark her seventh pro-win with no defeats.
The Finnish boys’ hockey wteam on in the Youth World Olympics for ages 16 and under, by edging Russia, 2-1, at Innsbruck, Austria on Jan. 22. Another Finnish gold went to Niki Lahikoinen in the boys’ ski-cross, a silver to Ilkka Herola in the combined (jump & xc), Lauri Kivari in the free-style half-pipe and to Eveliina Viljanen in girls’ figure skating.
While we’re on figure skating, Finnish national champion Kiira Korpi is burnishing a silver from the European Women’s Championships that concluded in Sheffield, England on Jan. 28. She finished second to Carolina Kostner of Italy who had 183.55 points to Kiira’s 166.94. Georgia’s Elena Gedevanishvili was 3rd with 165.83. In the short program Kiira was close to Carolina, 63,2 to 61,80. In the short program Korpi’s music was Ladt Gaga’s “You and I”. In the free skate it was George Gershwin’s “I Gor Rhythm”
Tanja Poutiainen was second in the World Cup slalom at Kranjska Gora, 0.85 seconds begind Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria on Jan. 22. In the X-Games At Aspen, Colo., snowboarder Enni Rajajärvi was second behind USA’s Jenny Anderson in the slope-style 82.61-95.33., an event Enni won last year. Peetu Piiroinen got the bronze in the men’s slope-style snowboard. In a World Cup cross-country ski sprint at Moscow on Feb. 2, the winner was Cup leader Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland, with Finns Aino-Kaisa Saarinen and Krista Lähteenmäki in fourth and fifth . On Feb. 5 in Innsbruck, snowboartder Peetu Piiroinen dominatedin a six-star Big Air jump, while Markus Malin and Janne Korpi were second and third in Calgary to a snowboard win by Ryo Anono of Japan.
Back in Finland in the national winter indoor multi-event track championships at Bonia Hall at Mustajärvi. long–time pentathlon champion Niina Kelo was upset by Miia Kurppa, eight years her junior, on Feb. 5. Kurppa opened her charge with an 8.71-sec personal best in the 60m hurdles and another PB 170 cms in the high jump. Niina came back with a powerful 14.61 thrust in the shotput, but Miia took the long jump with 6 meters and the 800m run in a new course record of 2:26.04. Thus, in a close call in points it was 4044 for Miia, 4032 for Niina. Tero Ojala took the men’s heptathlon with 5360 points..