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Timo Antila
* September 22, 1980 Jurva175 cm, 70 kg
Present residence: Kesti
Club: Jurvan Urheilijat
Timo Antila has competed for Finland at every major biathlon championship event since 2001 except for the 2006 Olympic Games. Timo represents a real Olympic family: his wife Kirsi (née Välimaa) competed in cross-country skiing at the Turin Games, and his father Erkki Antila finished fifth in 20 kilometres biathlon in Lake Placid 1980. Timo works as a coast guard. His favourite hobbies are hunting and fishing.
Previous Olympic Games:
2002 10 km 19th, pursuit 32nd, 20 km 41st, relay 12th.
Other achievements:
2001 WCh relay 6th.
2003 WCh 10 km 69th, 20 km 77th, relay 11th.
2004 WCh 10 km 64th, 20 km 36th, relay 16th.
2005 WCh 10 km 71st, 20 km 36th, relay 12th.
2006 WCh mixed relay 19th.
2007 WCh 10 km 51st, pursuit 48th, 20 km 64th, relay 12th, mixed relay 16th.
2008 WCh 10 km 31st, pursuit 41st, 20 km 48th, relay 14th, mixed relay 10th.
2009 WCh 10 km 54th, pursuit 51st, 20 km 54th, relay 22nd, mixed relay 6th.
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Paavo Puurunen
* August 28, 1973 Kajaani179 cm, 69 kg
Present residence: Kuhmo
Club: Kuhmo-Ski
Paavo Puurunen is the most successful Finnish biathlonist since the turn of the millennium. He won gold in 20 kilometres at the World Championships of 2001 in Pokljuka and bronze in pursuit two years later in Khanty-Mansiysk. Paavo retired from biathlon in 2006 but decided to make a comeback after two full seasons on the sidelines. Vancouver will be his fourth Olympic Games. Paavo is married and has one son. He works as a border guard and enjoys the excellent hunting and fishing opportunities in his home province Kainuu.
Previous Olympic Games:
1998 10 km 9th, 20 km 23rd, relay 8th.
2002 10 km 16th, 20 km 15th, pursuit 28th, relay 12th.
2006 mass start 4th, 20 km 12th, pursuit 23rd, 10 km 47th.
Other achievements:
1996 WCh 10 km 11th, 20 km 26th, relay 6th. .
1997 WCh 10 km 47th, 20 km 66th.
1998 WCh pursuit 22nd.
1999 WCh 10 km 11th, pursuit 16th, relay 6th.
2000 WCh 10 km 10th, pursuit 27th, 20 km 18th, mass start 8th, relay 15th.
2001 WCh 10 km 6th, pursuit 13th, 20 km gold, mass start 28th, relay 5th.
2002 WCh mass start 9th.
2003 WCh 10 km 21st, pursuit bronze, 20 km 16th, mass start 6th, relay 11th.
2004 WCh 10 km 8th, pursuit 7th, 20 km 39th, mass start 22nd, relay 16th.
2005 WCh 10 km 26th, pursuit dnf, 20 km 31st, relay 12th.
2009 WCh 10 km 45th, pursuit 16th, 20 km dnf, relay 22nd, mixed relay 6th.
World Cup: 1 win.
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Mari Laukkanen
171 cm, 58 kgPresent residence: Vuokatti
Club: Enon Kisa-Pojat
Coach: Jarmo Punkkinen
Mari Laukkanen won gold in pursuit at the European Junior Championships in 2006. She made her debut in the Finnish senior biathlon team at the World Championships of 2007 in Anterselva. Vancouver will be her first Olympic Games. Mari’s ancillary sport is cross-country skiing, where she has competed with success at world junior level: in 2010 she won gold in sprint at the World Under 23 Championships in Hinterzarten. In her junior years she also used to play volleyball and football. Mari is studying for a degree in sports medicine.
Achievements:
2006 EurJCh pursuit gold.
2007 WCh 7.5 km 43rd, pursuit dnq, relay 12th, mixed relay 16th. Cross-country skiing: WJCh relay bronze.
2008 WCh 7.5 km 34th, pursuit 33rd, 15 km 47th, relay 15th, mixed relay 10th. Cross-country skiing:
WU23Ch sprint (F) bronze.
2009 WCh 7.5 km 55th, pursuit 47th, relay 15th, mixed relay 6th. Cross-country skiing: WU23Ch sprint (C) silver.
2010 Cross-country skiing: WU23Ch sprint (F) gold.
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Kaisa Mäkäräinen
* January 11, 1983 Ristijärvi
171 cm, 57 kg
Present residence: Joensuu
Club: Kontiolahden Urheilijat
Coach: Jarmo Punkkinen
Kaisa Mäkäräinen has been a ray of light in Finnish biathlon in the past few seasons. The Vancouver Games will be her Olympic debut. Kaisa made her breakthrough in the 2006/07 season with two top eight positions at the World Championship in Anterselva. The first World Cup podium place followed next winter in Pokljuka. The past few years have seen Kaisa become a solid performer in the World Cup circuit. At last year’s World Championship in Pyeongchang she came close to her first medal, finishing fourth in the mass start race, her favourite event. Kaisa is studying for a physics teacher’s degree at the University of Joensuu.
Achievements:
2005 WCh 7.5 km 73rd, 15 km 49th, relay 18th.
2006 WCh mixed relay 19th.
2007 WCh 7.5 km 29th, pursuit 25th, 15 km 8th, mass start 7th, relay 12th, mixed relay 16th.
2008 WCh 7.5 km 55th, 15 km 31st, mass start 15th, relay 15th, mixed relay 10th.
2009 WCh 7.5 km 23rd, pursuit 4th, 15 km 30th, mass start 17th, mixed relay 6th.
