Janne Ahonen is no longer stone-faced. Matti Hautamäki’s Pokka likes.
Janne Ahonen was named to the Finnish sports hall of honor. MATTI MATIKAINEN
On Thursday, mountain legend Janne Ahonen, 48, was humbled.
The nation’s sports hero of the early 2000s was named to the Hall of Fame of Finnish sports. Ahonen received an Uno stand at the Sports Gala.
Ahonen updated what kind of group he has joined. The emotions were also on the surface, when you could watch the top moments of your career on video and relive them.
A Finnish golden eagle and an emotional public performance is not a given. During Ahonen’s time, hill jumpers made stony-faced performances almost an institution.
– Yes, there are those feelings and there always have been, Ahonen said.
– Back then, during my career, they were covered up, and that’s what happened to us Matti Hautamäki I even joked with him that even under the threat of a small punishment, you had to not smile or vent after a good race. If one noticed that the other was smiling, then yes, it was said.
This photo has been preserved in Iltalehti’s photo archive with the words “Mäkikonkars Matti Hautamäki and Janne Ahonen having fun in the press”. VESA KOIVUNEN
What would have been an appropriate punishment if the other collapsed?
– First of all, the fact that it was embarrassing. That was punishment enough.
Where is Matt?
The name of Ahonen’s aisapari Hautamäki is certainly on the table when the next nominees for the gallery of honor are being considered.
The challenge may be to make Hautamäki public.
Ahonen says that he rarely deals with Hautamäki these days.
– Very rarely. Every now and then somewhere in connection with the World Cup race in Lahti or Ruka. That’s how much we’ll see if Matti has also been to watch the games.
– Random messages and phone calls sometimes.
Hautamäki, a 13-time prize winner, graduated as a locomotive driver after his career and got a job at VR.
Is it the case that Hautamäki is not the first to run into the public spotlight?
– Yes, yes, Matti has kept that kid even longer than I have, Ahonen said.
– Nice man.
Risto Jussilainen, Matti Hautamäki, Veli-Matti Lindström and Janne Ahonen achieved Olympic silver for Finland in the team hill in 2002. At the time, the silver was described as a heart-wrenching defeat. Finland lost the gold by 0.1 points. JARNO JUTI
A changed man
Ahonen estimates that he is a very different man today than he was during his career.
19 race medals and five hill week wins don’t come for free.
– When you lived the life of a top athlete, competitive rumba and other things, you were really selfish. All things had to be done and always had to be done under the conditions of the race ahead.
– Couldn’t think about external things. After all, that world of thought has changed for me. When we stood on the podium and Our country– song played, it didn’t feel like that. Or you couldn’t really let it feel like anything, because we were moving towards the next race again.
You don’t have to worry anymore.
– Yes, they touch and feel afterwards.
Janne Ahonen is one of the greats of Finnish sports. EERO LEISMAMA