Sailing
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SILJA LEHTINEN
* November 5, 1985 Helsinki
Present residence: Helsinki
168 cm, 63 kg
Club: Nyländska Jaktklubben
Coaches: Ville Väresmaa, Tapio Lehtinen
Class: Yngling
Silja Lehtinen made her international breakthrough in 2001 by winning gold at the World Championships of Byte class for junior sailors. In 2006 she won another world title in the 29er class paired with the Australian Scott Babbage. In the same year Silja moved to Yngling and in 2007 skipped her team to an Olympic quota place at the World Championship regatta in Cascais. She has also prepared for the future by winning World Championship bronze in match racing, which will replace Yngling as an Olympic event in London 2012. Silja is a medical student, whose main hobbies are sailboarding, skiing and snowboarding. Her younger brother Lauri Lehtinen is also a member of the Finnish national sailing team.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
2001 WCh gold Byte
2002 WCh 4th Byte.
2003 EurCh 6th Match racing.
2004 WCh 7th 29er.
2005 WCh 27th 29er. EurCh 4th 29er.
2006 WCh 29th Yngling. WCh gold 29er.
2007 WCh 11th Yngling.
2008 WCh 7th Yngling. WCh bronze Match racing.
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MARIA KLEMETZ
* December 28, 1976 Kuusankoski
Present residence: Helsinki
180 cm, 72 kg
Club: Nyländska Jaktklubben
Coaches: Ville Väresmaa, Andy Beadsworth
Class: Yngling
Maria Klemetz (née Diesen) sailed previously in the 470 class with Maria Saarikallio. They placed sixth at the ISAF World Championships of 2002 and missed an Olympic quota place for Athens by only one place at the World Championships of next year in Cádiz. Maria will now make her Olympic debut in Silja Lehtinen’s Yngling team in Qingdao. Maria is married and has a three-year-old son called Botho. She holds a degree in political science and is currently studying for another one in philosophy at the University of Helsinki. Her cousins Bettina and Annika Lemström finished fourth in 470 class at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
2000 EurCh 25th 470.
2001 EurCh 9th 470.
2002 WCh (ISAF) 6th 470. WCh 24th 470. EurCh 20th 470.
2003 WCh 23rd 470.
2004 WCh 35th 470.
2006 WCh 29th Yngling.
2007 WCh 11th Yngling.
2008 WCh 7th Yngling. WCh bronze Match racing.
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LIVIA VÄRESMAA
* July 14, 1975 Helsinki
Present residence: Helsinki
179 cm, 67 kg
Club: Nyländska Jaktklubben
Coaches: Ville Väresmaa, Andy Beadsworth
Class: Yngling
Livia Väresmaa joined Silja Lehtinen’s Yngling crew in 2006. Her husband Ville Väresmaa is coaching the team. Livia began her sailing career in match racing classes in 2000. She holds a degree in political science and enjoys skiing and scuba diving in her free time.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
2003 EurCh 9th Match racing.
2006 WCh 29th Yngling.
2007 WCh 11th Yngling.
2008 WCh 7th Yngling. WCh bronze Match racing.
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TUULI PETÄJÄ
* November 9, 1983 Espoo
Present residence: Helsinki
169 cm, 60 kg
Club: Helsingfors Segelklubb
Coach: Jon-Paul Tobin
Class: RS:X
Tuuli Petäjä began her sailing career in the Optimist class. She competed in the 470 class until the age of 20, when she decided to become a sailboarder. She moved into the Olympic RS:X class only in 2006. Consequently, the Olympic quota place she won at next year’s World Championships of Cascais came as a surprise to many. In the spring of 2008 Tuuli has continued her fast rise in the rankings by finishing twelfth at the European Championships. Tuuli studies for a degree in architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology. Her hobbies include knitting, reading and travelling. In her junior years she also played ice hockey at lower levels.
ACHIEVEMENTS (all in RS:X class):
2006 WCh 50th.
2007 WCh 32nd. EurCh 31st.
2008 WCh 34th. EurCh 12th.
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TUULA TENKANEN
* August 11, 1990
Present residence: Espoo
Club: Esbo Segelförening
Coach: Minna Aalto
Class: Laser Radial
Tuula Tenkanen won the World Junior Championship title in Laser Radial last year. This spring she surprisingly finished twelfth at the senior World Championships and defeated the two-time Olympian Sari Multala in internal qualification for Finland’s Olympic quota place. Consequently, Tuula gets to celebrate her 18th birthday at the Olympic regatta in Qingdao. Tuula is a high school student, whose other athletic pursuits include trampolining, alpine skiing and synchronized figure skating.
ACHIEVEMENTS (all in Laser Radial):
2007 EurCh 32nd. WJunCh gold. WJunCh (ISAF) 4th.
2008 WCh 12th. EurCh 34th.
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PIERRE ANGELO COLLURA
* July 19, 1989 Antananarivo (Madagascar)
180 cm, 80 kg
Present residence: Sirmione (Italy)
Club in Finland: Lahden Purjehdusseura
Coach: Alp Alpagut
Class: Laser
Pierre Angelo Collura was born Pierre Angelo Rakotoarisoa in Madagascar. When he was eight months old he was adopted by a family of a Finnish mother and an Italian father. Pierre was raised on the shores of Lago di Garda in Northern Italy. He took up sailing at 8 and soon became Italian champion in the Optimist class. He competed for Finland for the first time at the age of 10 at the European Optimist Championships. In 2004 at 14 Pierre won the U17 world championship title in Laser Radial. Pierre graduates from his Italian high school this spring. Dancing and capoeira are among his favourite pastimes. Pierre is proud of his Malagasy roots and his of cultural heritage from three very different countries.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
2003 U15WCh silver Laser 4.7.
2004 U17 WCh gold Laser Radial.
2007 EurCh 58th Laser.
2008 WCh 79th Laser.
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NIKLAS LINDGREN
* May 18, 1988 Helsinki
175 cm, 63 kg
Present residence: Helsinki
Club: Helsingfors Segelklubb
Coaches: Enrico Fonda, Jouko Lindgren
Class: 470
Niklas Lindgren will become the second Olympic sailor in his family. His father Jouko Lindgren won bronze in the 470 class at the 1980 Olympic regatta in Tallinn. In fact, Niklas won his ticket to Qingdao by beating his elder brother Joonas in internal qualification races between Finnish boats. The brothers started sailing together when Niklas was four. Niklas is a student at the Helsinki University of Technology. His favourite pastimes are windsurfing and wave surfing.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
2005 EurCh 68th 470 (with Konsta Hämäläinen).
2006 EurCh 85th 470 (with Konsta Hämäläinen).
2007 WCh 83rd 470 (with Heikki Elomaa).
2008 MM 63rd 470 (with Heikki Elomaa).
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HEIKKI ELOMAA
* July 9, 1986 Helsinki
183 cm, 75 kg
Present residence: Helsinki
Club: Helsingfors Segelklubb
Coach: Enrico Fonda
Class: 470
Heikki Elomaa made his major international debut in 470 class at the European Junior Championships of 2002 in Tallinn, Estonia. He has sailed with Niklas Lindgren since 2006. Heikki is a student whose favourite hobby is snowboarding.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
2007 WCh 83rd 470 (with Niklas Lindgren)
2008 WCh 63rd 470 (with Niklas Lindgren)
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TAPIO NIRKKO
* August 24, 1984 Espoo
194 cm, 96 kg
Present residence: Helsinki
Club: Espoon Pursiseura
Coach: Joakim Wilenius
Class: Finn
Finland will be represented in the eponymous Finn class in Qingdao by Tapio Nirkko. In his junior years Tapio sailed mostly in Laser and Europe classes but already at 17 he changed to the old Olympic class well suited for heavily built athletes. Tapio has won three medals in junior categories at the Finn Gold Cup, the world championship event of the class. He earned his Olympic ticket by finishing twelfth at the World Championships of 2007 in Cascais. Tapio is studying for a degree in business studies at a university of applied sciences in Helsinki. His favourite pastimes are golf, cycling and photography.
ACHIEVEMENTS (all in Finn class):
2002 WCh 43rd.
2003 WCh 59th. EurCh 52nd. U22 WCh bronze.
2004 WCh 40th. EurCh 44th. U22 WCh gold.
2005 WCh 21st. EurCh 31st. U22 WCh silver.
2006 WCh 20th. EurCh 14th.
2007 WCh 12th. EurCh 37th.
2008 WCh 11th. EurCh 12th.
