Juha Miedo’s Christmas table is overflowing with delicacies. After that, it’s okay to go skiing or snow work.
Juha Mieto, 74, reflects on the limitations of life. Kaisa Vehkalahti
– I don’t aim for anything in my life anymore.
This is how Juha Mieto answers questions about this winter’s target skiing kilometers. The 74-year-old Olympic champion is still a familiar sight on the slopes. But Kurika’s jätti ski glides just as much as it feels good.
– I haven’t set any kind of mileage goals, Mieto says as a surer guarantee.
Mieto’s ski season starts properly only at the end of the year.
– I was thinking of starting my fitness skiing training with Christmas meals again, says Mieto.
You can find traditional Finnish delicacies on the Christmas table.
– Ham, of course. A ten-kilogram one is enough when you are alone with your son. Another one would do, but there is a limit, says Mieto.
Fish dishes are Miedo’s delicacy.
– And of course potatoes! It is by far the cheapest and most versatile raw material. Underrated food once and for all, says Mieto.
Meat food is a large part of Kurika’s Jätti’s diet.
– Yes, I also eat fodder, that’s not it. Versatile, says Mieto.
From delicacies, Mieto swears by Christmas tarts.
In recent years, headlines were made about the skiing legend who ate more than a hundred Christmas cakes. Today, the amount is more moderate.
– I had to get my act together a bit about that. But there are still dozens of them, Mieto admits.
A passionate crasher
Mieto still enjoys the slopes. Photo from 2011. Jaakko Virtanen
After the Christmas meal, it’s good to go skiing. The framework is in good condition in Kurika.
A winter with a lot of snow makes Mieto, a passionate snowmaker, happy.
– Knocking around the yard and home alley is fitness sports at its best! That job easily takes a couple of hours a day, says Mieto.
“Mietaa” still makes one wish.
– They would make bigger snowballs! I have sometimes told the manufacturers about this, but they say that making a new model is expensive. However, I know I’m not the only one who would like bigger equipment, Mieto states.
Everything has been experienced
Mieto is known as a man who does not hold back his words. Mika Kanerva
The 74-year-old Olympic champion says his health is fine.
– Even though it’s already this old, it feels like puberty hasn’t even started yet, Mieto laughs.
Then something surprising happens. Mild becomes serious.
Mieto, who became popular as a jovial soup man, speaks in a way that puts the comment about skiing kilometers mentioned at the beginning of the story in a new light.
– Yes. Knock on wood. You don’t know that, even if the departure is tomorrow, says Mieto now, sounding clearly more serious.
– To be honest, you have to admit that you have thought about it, that at this age you have already seen everything in the world, says Mieto.
The story continues after the picture.
Juha Miedo’s great sadness. Beloved spouse Minna Mieto passed away at Christmas 1996. Keiko Kokko / IL-ARCHIVE
Mieto has faced both the greatest joys and the darkest sorrows in his life. Not once has he publicly complained about his fate. It has undoubtedly made him so highly valued by Finns.
– I say, bitch, I’m a dual character. On the other hand, I am a recluse, I enjoy being alone at home. But on the other hand, it’s nice to be in the company of people, says Mieto.
It’s good to be in Kurika. And in Finland.
– You can’t take me abroad with an ax anymore. Hasn’t the world already gone round here, Mieto laughs.
Again in that familiar Ostrobothnian way that only Juha Mieto knows.