Suomipop’s midday host traveled to Latvia and noticed that Sledding is also a demanding Olympic sport.
Janne Saarinen became a national team athlete in a few days. PDO
Host known from Radio Suomipop’s midday broadcasts Janne Saarinen threatened last week in a live broadcast that there is one easy way to become an Olympic athlete and that is tobogganing. The host believed that the sport did not require as much effort as other winter sports, and stated that he would take Finland to the Olympics for the first time in luge.
The broadcast quickly took a turn when the president of the Finnish Luge Association called Saarinen and told him that there was an open spot on the national team. The Finnish luge team has recently been revived, but the lack of training places slows down the activity. Therefore, the Finnish team usually trains in Latvia, where the presenter received an invitation for the weekend.
Saarinen accepted the challenge and traveled to the training camp. He says on Instagram that he paid his own travel expenses and reminded that the national team has no funds to waste.
On Sunday, Saarinen shared atmospheric clips from Sigulda’s toboggan hill. On his first attempt, the man who landed on the pole rattled the sides of the track violently, but he soon got the hang of it.
– On Thursday, I was selected for the national team and today I saw the “stick” for the first time. I was hooked. Sick, Saarinen said on Facebook.
Saarinen sticks to the goal he stated on the broadcast and intends to make it to the 2026 Olympics in Italy. A new career as a national team athlete may inoculate parts of Suomipop’s broadcast schedule.
– The places are quite gentle now, but the clock wakes me up again tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. to the hill. And apparently in a week to Norway? Let’s see if this madness ever ends.
Saarinen’s performances as a sledder gathered admiration in the comment field. Among other things, a quick beeper Annimari Korte praised the presenter for being brave.
– Help, you are brave! At some point, I considered the next career as well, but being accident-prone anyway, I don’t know if I would end up with one bill, Korte says.
If the Instagram post below is not visible, you can view it from this link.