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Lauri Asikainen
* May 28, 1989 Savonlinna
173 cm, 62 kg
Present residence: Vaajakoski
Club: Kuusamon Erä-Veikot
Coaches: Kimmo Savolainen, Reijo Jylhä
Lauri Asikainen made his debut in the Finnish senior Nordic combined team at the World Championships of 2009 in Liberec. He is known as an excellent ski jumper and actually won his first international medal in that discipline, team bronze at the World Junior Championships of 2007 in Tarvisio. Lauri graduated from high school in 2009. His favourite hobby is playing the guitar.
Achievements
2007 Ski jumping: WJCh team bronze.
2009 WCh large hill 33rd, mass start 47th, team 8th.
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Anssi Koivuranta
* July 3, 1988 Kuusamo
175 cm, 60 kg
Present residence: Kuusamo
Club: Kuusamon Erä-Veikot
Coach: Ali Koivuranta
Anssi Koivuranta first came to the fore at the World Championship of 2005 in Oberstdorf. Only 16 at the time, he won the ski jump leg in the sprint competition and finished in sixth place in final results. He won team bronze in his Olympic debut at the Turin Games and one year later took his first individual senior medal, bronze in the Gundersen competition, as well as team gold at the World Championship in Sapporo. In the 2008/09 season Anssi enjoyed spectacular success in the World Cup circuit, winning seven competitions and the overall title. He was taken ill during the World Championship in Liberec, however, and did not win medals that time. Anssi’s main pastimes are cycling, motorcycling and playing the guitar.
Previous Olympic Games:
2006 sprint 11th , Gundersen 25th , team bronze.
Other achievements:
2004 WJCh sprint bronze.
2005 WCh sprint 6th, Gundersen 26th. WJCh Gundersen bronze. WJCh ski jumping team bronze.
2007 WCh Gundersen bronze, sprint 4th, team gold. WJCh Gundersen gold, sprint silver.
2009 WCh normal hill 4th, large hill dnf, mass start 4th.
World Cup: 7 wins. Overall champion in 2008/09.
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Hannu Manninen
* April 17, 1978 Rovaniemen mlk
189 cm, 83 kg
Present residence: Saarenkylä
Club: Ounasvaaran Hiihtoseura
Coach: Jorma Manninen
Hannu Manninen has made a spectacular comeback to the world elite of Nordic combined after a one-year absence. He retired in 2008 to concentrate on his airline pilot studies after winning everything the sport has to offer – except individual Olympic gold. Hannu was only 15 at his Olympic debut in Lillehammer 1994 and still holds the record of youngest Finnish Olympic Winter Games athlete in any sport. For many years luck always seemed to desert Hannu at major events, until he finally won gold in sprint competition at the World Championship of 2007 in Sapporo. At the Olympic Games Hannu has won one medal of each colour, all in team competitions. In his comeback season Hannu has competed sparingly due to his ongoing studies at the Finnish Aviation Academy, but he has already raised the number of his World Cup victories to 47, record for all disciplines of Nordic skiing sport. In Vancouver he will be joined by his sister Pirjo Muranen, who is a member of the Finnish cross-country skiing team.
Previous Olympic Games:
1994 38th.
1998 11th, team silver.
2002 sprint 7th, Gundersen 14th, team gold. Cross-country skiing sprint 8th.
2006 Gundersen 9th, sprint 12th, team bronze.
Other achievements:
1994 WJCh team silver.
1995 WCh 24th, team 9th. WJCh gold.
1996 WJCh silver.
1997 WCh 6th, team silver.
1998 WJCh gold, team gold.
1999 WCh sprint 4th, team gold.
2001 WCh Gundersen 4th, sprint 6th, team bronze.
2003 WCh Gundersen 11th, sprint 27th, team bronze.
2005 WCh sprint 8th, Gundersen 9th, team 4th.
2007 WCh sprint gold, Gundersen 6th, team gold.
World Cup: 47 wins (record). Four consecutive overall championship titles 2004–2007.
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Janne Ryynänen
* January 1, 1988 Rovaniemi
175 cm, 58 kg
Present residence: Rovaniemi
Club: Ounasvaaran Hiihtoseura
Coach: Jukka Ylipulli
Janne Ryynänen was a member of the gold-medal-winning Finnish Nordic combined team at the World Championship in Sapporo 2007. He made his real breakthrough in the 2008/09 season, achieving two podium places in the World Cup and finishing in fourth place in the large hill competition at the World Championship in Liberec. Janne is coached by Jukka Ylipulli, Olympic bronze medallist in Nordic combined in 1984. His favourite hobbies are football and tennis.
Previous Olympic Games:
2006 sprint 36th.
Other achievements:
2007 WCh sprint 17th, team gold.
2008 WJCh bronze.
2009 WCh large hill 4th, normal hill 15th, mass start 11th, team 8th.
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Jaakko Tallus
* February 23, 1981 Lieksa
166 cm, 56 kg
Present residence: Kuopio
Club: Lieksan Hiihtoseura
Coach: Sami Leskinen
Jaakko Tallus goes to Vancouver in search of his fourth Olympic medal. At the Salt Lake Games of 2002 he won silver in the Gundersen competition behind his countryman Samppa Lajunen, as well as gold in the team competition. In 2006 Jaakko was the best Finnish Nordic combined athlete at the Turin Games. As a matter of fact, he has featured in all Finnish medal-winning Nordic combined teams at major championships since the turn of the millennium. Jaakko’s favourite pursuits are tennis, floorball and downhill skiing.
Previous Olympic Games:
2002 Gundersen silver, sprint 4th, team gold.
2006 Gundersen 5th, sprint 5th, team bronze.
Other achievements:
1998 WJCh team gold.
2000 WJCh team gold.
2001 WCh sprint 4th, Gundersen 10th, team silver. WJCh Gundersen silver, sprint silver, team silver.
2003 WCh Gundersen 13th, sprint 20th, team bronze.
2005 WCh Gundersen 8th, sprint 12th, team 4th.
2007 WCh Gundersen 11th, team gold.
2009 WCh normal hill 18th, large hill 39th, mass start 9th, team 8th.
