Successful Lempäälä ice hockey players had jogging paths named after them in their hometown.
In Lempäälä you can now jog in Mörkönmutka. KIMMO BRANDT, AOP
Lions cult player Marko Anttila and captain of the women’s national team Jenni Hiirikoski have received sports honors from their home town of Lempääla.
In the local Hakkar outdoor recreation area, you can now go around either the 2.3-kilometer-long Mörkönmutka or the 4.4-kilometer-long Captain’s Round.
In winter, the routes are lit for skiers.
– It’s great that Jenni and I now have our own route in Hakkar. Here, everyone can move and enjoy exercise in their own way, that’s the most important thing, Anttila told the municipality in the bulletin.
– I have spent my entire childhood in these landscapes and nowadays I spend my summer vacations here. In Lempäälä, you can find all the conditions and opportunities to become a professional.
Three-time Olympic medalist Hiirikoski also emphasized that Lempäälä has provided a good framework for sports and exercise.
– I hope that Marko and I have inspired children and young people to move and enjoy sports and physical activity. It’s been good to venture out into the world from Lempäälä, and it’s great to come back here every summer, to the same familiar jogging paths and sports venues.
Anttila, 37, will play in Oulu’s Kärpi next season. 35-year-old Hiirikoski, on the other hand, represents Swedish Luleå HF.