Finland nominates six athletes to national team

Six athletes have been selected for the Finnish Nordic Combined national team for the period 2020-2021. The quartet Ilkka Herola, Eero Hirvonen, Leevi Mutru and Arttu Mäkiaho, who have formed the body of the team for a few years now, have been appointed to the national team group. In addition to the four, the team will include Wille Karhumaa and Perttu Reponen, who were already rose from the youth national team to the national team's autumn camp last season.

“In the selections, the whole team has thought about who will be able to get the desired result at the World Championships in Oberstdorf and the Beijing Olympics. We have a lot of young athletes of the same age, the same level. Karhumaa's choice was supported by the World Cup points he already achieved last season and Perttu has points in his pocket from the Summer Grand Prix and, of course, the silver medal from the Winter Youth Olympics”, says head coach Petter Kukkonen.

“There was a desire to bring young people to the national team in order to have that continuity and suction from the youth team towards the national team.”

The team's camps are gradually starting in accordance with the decisions and restrictions of the authorities.

“The aim is to gradually open up training camps in Finland. Coaching has now been done actively from a distance, all the way to our jumping coach Falko, who is in Austria. The training sessions will especially focus on jumping training. At some point, high-altitude training will also be included. It is planned that the athletes will also be able to train longer stretches in Central Europe, near Falko”, says Kukkonen.

The combined other training groups with their coaches will be announced later.

National team 2020-2021:

Ilkka Herola
Eero Hirvonen
Wille Karhumaa
Leevi Mutru
Arttu Mäkiaho
Perttu Reponen