General athlete Mikko Kauppinen was not far behind his own record in the int Cooper test.
The running talent of Vieremä, a small town in Pohjois Savo Mikko Kauppinen has started his conscript service this autumn at the Sports School of the Guard’s Jääkärirykment together with other Finnish sports promises.
Cooper’s test, which is part of the basic training period of the conscript service, was run last week. For endurance athletes, completing the test often means an extra day off for fitness, as a performance of 3,000 meters is enough to get a commendable grade. Kauppinen easily broke that boundary.
A runner’s coach Sami Karjalainen revealed the result of the test, which had come casually without the support of others.
– A little over 4,000 meters. He had to run alone in the cold. It was agreed that it’s not worth trying too hard, Karjalainen clarifies.
In September 2021, Kauppinen was quoted in the sports media when he had run 3,830 meters at the age of 18. Regarding the result, it must be noted that Kauppinen was a self-taught athlete at that point, who did not receive systematic coaching.
At the end of 2021, Karjalainen decided to accept the coaching position and set off to grind the diamond.
The development was visible quickly. Next summer Iivo Niskanen at the opening of the named Iivo Arena in Vieremä, Kauppinen ran his current record of 4,120 meters in the Cooper chosen as the program number.
Kauppinen received world-class pulling help for his performance from Iivo Niskas, who also worked hard from Vierema. The Olympic champion and world champion ran ten meters further.
Now the cooperation between Kauppinen and Karjalainen has lasted two years. The athletics coach says that Kauppinen has gradually learned to better recognize strain and understood the need for rest. As expected, the running technique has been refined.
Main trip question mark
Mikko Kauppinen started military service. The photo was taken in July at the Jyväskylä GP. Santtu Silvennoinen
Kauppinen’s coach describes the finished athletics season as successful.
– A young athlete could not take more development steps, Karjalainen states confidently.
In the Kaleva Games, Vieremä Koito’s representative participated in the 5,000 meters and was fifth with a personal record time of 14:25.06.
The victory was taken by two years older Eemil Helander at 13:50,37.
The 1,500-meter distance will also be realized by Kauppinen, even though he did not participate in that distance in Lahti. Even 800 meters is an option. The coach from Iisalme says that the two have not decided and are not about to decide on one major trip for Kauppinen. Of the three options, 800 meters will fall out of the repertoire at some point.
– Mikko participated in the 800 meters in one race in the summer. That sport requires a little bit of training of its own.
Next season’s plan also causes reflection. The next two months at Inti and the length of service have a significant impact on the construction of the competition calendar. Kauppinen hopes that the service will last for six months, which would allow him to run a full summer season.
According to the coach, the indoor season will probably be thin, whether there were 165 or 347 innings in total.