League finals player by player
The team of taekwondo athletes in the league finals was bigger than ever. Representatives were found
both league and amateur series, and Pauli, Tanja and Kim had a long day
sitting on the coach's bench. The performances of the competitors were really promising for next season.
Luca Leskinen, D2 juniors -26kg
Luca went to fight against his first international opponent, Russia, without prejudice
Against Nikita Zharkov. Luca dictated the rhythm of the match and always led until the last moments
until the opponent managed to equalize the situation. In the overtime, Zharkov dug the decisive one
point first. Bronze for Luca from the series.
Joni Ståhl, D2 juniors -30kg
Joni had the longest wait of the day when his semifinal opponent canceled his match. I saw Joni
got straight to the final, which was the last of the day. The wait, however, did not show up in Jon's eyes
on his feet, and the opponent Teemu Västelä fell with a clear score of 4-1. So, gold for Joni.
Eddie Quinones, D2 juniors -40kg
Eddie was the best in his series with three clear match wins. Estonian Henry Lippasaar fell first
to display style 15-6. After this, Russia's Vladimir Gysev got a cold ride with 9-5.
In the final, the Russian Maksim Alymov offered a tough resistance, but with a score of 3-0 in favor of Eddie
spoke for himself after the match.
Severi Sarala, C2 juniors -41kg
Russia's Dmitrii Dvurekov, who is really hard compared to his series, stepped against Severi. Severus
hit hard, but this time the victory went to the Russian 8-4. Sever's catch was
bronze medal.
Sami Leskinen and Lasse Laaksonen, H-men -68kg
Sami and Lasse were drawn on different sides of the diagram in a series of four. Lasse's opponent was
Jani Syrjä of Riihimäki. The match was even, but a little unclear The main hit brought victory to Syrjä
in chapters 13-9. Sami faced Mikael Saja of Herttoniemi Taekwondo. The flu was visible in Sam's legs
and the technique did not take off as quickly as we are used to seeing in the gym. Victory for the opponent
9-2. Bronze medals for both Sam and Lasse.
Jaakko Saha, H men +87kg
Jaakko once again showed incredible stretching and tactical skills in a competitive situation. Opponent
Estonia's Aleksandr Afanasjev took the lead at the beginning of the match, but Jaakko soon caught the rhythm.
A couple of clever main points and a precise match brought Jaako a 9-6 victory. Unfortunately, Jaakko
had to miss the final due to a hand injury. Silver for Jaak.
Ali Pirveisi C1 cadets -33kg
Ali, making his debut in the cadet series, faced Espoo Hwarang Team's Mico in his first match
Knuttson's. Ali's tactical talent and fast techniques brought the victory 6-5. In the following
in the match, the opponent was already a few degrees tougher, when the cadets' EC champion was up against him
Oskar Mäkinen. Ali took the fight open-minded, but had to acknowledge the more experienced Oskar
for the better. Ali got a bronze from the first cadet competition.
Voker Feka C1 cadets, -65kg
Voker's only opponent was Russia's Aleksandr Telmanov. Voker was in good match mood and
precise movement. However, the opponent's defense remained careful until the end of the match, and a good one
despite the techniques, Voker had to settle for silver.
Aleksi Väyrynen B1 juniors -45kg and C1 juniors -41kg
Aleksi participated in two series. Lopen Tuomas Haavisto's first opponent in the junior series
fell in display style 13-1. Aleksi's back flips showed their bite. Against in the final
stepped extremely tough Maksud Dadashov from Russia. Aleksi went to challenge bravely, but
had to stop the match due to a knee injury. In the cadet series, Aleksi first beat Kerava
Eemeli Grönroos's 13-1. In the final, he faced Taekwondo Lahti's Chia Moazez. Aleksi, not really
was able to fight with his knee injury, so this match had to be abandoned.
So for Aleks, silver in both series.
Milla Väyrynen C1 juniors -37kg and -41kg
Like her brother, Milla also competed in two series. In the -37kg series, Russia fell first
Polina Imamova with accurate shots 2-0. In the final, Milla faced a familiar opponent, Budokwa of Turku
Ida Tammilan. The match was already extremely exciting, because it also decided
league championship. Ida initially took the lead, but Milla managed to level the match
with a great header. Another Main Hit in the third set turned the match for Milla and not
Ida was no longer able to catch the extended cord. The 7-4 win brought Milla the league championship. In the upper one
in the series, Milla had only one opponent, the Russian Polina Sipovich. More experienced and
the taller Russian drew a longer stroke. Silver for Milla from this series.
Sara Quinones D1 juniors -30kg and -28kg, E1 juniors -28kg
Sara was the series winner of the day, participating in no less than three series. Sara had to run from the match
to the other at a brisk pace. In the E series and the bigger D series, Sara had to settle for silver. Its
instead, a great match win over Russia's Ekaterina Shuliachenko brought the gold medal to Sara's neck
D1 -28kg from the series.
Tanja Lovikka R1 -49kg
Tanja was drawn directly to the final, but unfortunately the opponent had to miss the match
due to injury. So for Tanja, a win without a match. Tanja's contribution as a coach was
a really big help in managing all the aforementioned matches.
