Trotting instructor Hannu Torvinen has found balance in his life in Sweden.
Hannu Torvinen has already achieved a lot. He received the instructor of the year award in 2013. Juho Hämäläinen / Finnish Hippos
- Hannu Torvinen also drives more in Sweden.
- Torvinen has been one of Finland’s top instructors for ten years.
- He hopes to be at his best only in the coming years.
Hannu Torvinen is only 31 years old, but he has already been one of Finland’s most successful trotting instructors for ten years. Torvinen has guided almost 2,200 victories and driven almost 11.5 million euros in prize money.
In Finland, trots are organized on all other days of the year except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and the daily life of professional trainers is quite a whirlwind.
Although Torvinen still tours Finland’s raves at almost the same pace as before, in recent months he has nevertheless detached himself from the everyday squirrel bike – by racing, but in Sweden.
Torvinen has been driving horses of trainers mainly based in Finland at raves in Umeå with great success, and he also has a new direction in Sweden. Torvinen has visited the tracks of southern Sweden, currently guiding a coach near Gothenburg Mika Haapakkan too stable horses.
– Visiting Sweden has been really refreshing and in many ways new. After driving in Finland for ten years as a profession, the job has become familiar and quite similar, and it’s nice to have a few new patterns and challenges, describes Torvinen.
Intimidation
There will continue to be driving days in Sweden on a regular and irregular basis.
– Many people have threatened with threatening images that the number of horses in Finland may decrease if I visit Sweden more. However, I believe that those rides would end anyway, if someone stops registering horses because I go to Sweden, Torvinen describes.
Hannu Torvinen emphasizes that the main focus of the operation is in Finland.
– I have really good customers here and I want to serve them as well as possible. I hope as many people as possible can see that I’m certainly not a worse instructor because of that, if I go to compete in Sweden as well.
If the number of drivers in Sweden starts to increase, at some point it may become impossible to compete in two countries, Torvinen admits, however.
– I can honestly say that there are no long-term plans. Time will tell what life brings, he formulates.
Confidence okay
Parvelan Retu is one of Hannu Torvinen’s best rides in recent years. Ida Laine / Finnish Hippos
Torvinen has been in the top three of the Finnish drivers’ league every year since 2015, but he has yet to win a drivers’ league.
Torvinen was the number one name in the rise of instructors born in the 1990s, who were expected to dominate the driving league. In recent years, however, he has been second in the instructor statistics to a year younger than him Santtu Raitalan managing win and win total statistics.
Last year, Raitala drove a whopping 402 wins, while Torvinen was second in the drivers’ league with 214 wins.
– Santtu drives really well, but I don’t consider myself as much of a worse driver than the number of wins shows. If I only thought about the amount of profit for the year, I could go around driving more, Torvinen formulates.
– I know that I have never won the driver’s league, but I want to be the best and I think I can compete at a high level every day. I trust myself completely and I guess you can say it out loud that I consider myself the best in Finland.
Better to come
In trotting sports, you can be at the top just as well when you are young or old. Torvinen doesn’t think he’s at the peak of his skills yet.
– Sometimes I’ve thought that maybe the best period is around the age of 35-40, and at least I hope that I’m not even close to my best level yet. The goal is to be the best version of myself all the time, Torvinen describes.
– The goal is to be the kind of instructor who can be sent to compete anywhere in Europe. I also think that competing in Sweden serves such goals better than just driving in Finland.
Although Torvinen still does a lot of racing, he has reduced his touring since a few years ago.
– Somehow there is more thought involved in the whole thing now, and there is a really good balance in life. I’m serious about racing, but I try to remember to enjoy life anyway. And last year I got married, Torvinen mumbles.
If anyone is wondering what kind of relationship Finland’s top instructors have with each other, the answer could be found in Hannu and Anna Torvinen at the wedding. Santtu Raitala was the groom’s best man.