Paralympian star Leo-Pekka Tähti’s days are filled with sports

Pori-based wheelchair racer wins World Championship in 100 metres T54 event and aims for additional hardware from the 200 metres

Leo-Pekka Tähti

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By Antti Nieminen
     
      A Finnish star is twinkling again at the IPC Athletics World Championships for disabled athletes in Christchurch, New Zealand.
     
Pori-based wheelchair racer Leo-Pekka Tähti (“tähti” just happens to be the Finnish word for “star”) could not have wished for a better start to his stint at the IPC games.
      On Sunday, Tähti became the World Champion in the men’s 100 metres T54 event.
      The T54 class consists of spinal cord injury and amputee athletes, who are completely functional from the waist up.
      However, one should not make the mistake of thinking that Tähti's thirst for success has now been quenched.
      All signs seem to indicate that ultimately the Finnish star may well return from the opposite side of the globe with more than just one piece of silverware around his neck.
     
On Monday, Tähti progressed effortlessly into the T54 200-metre semifinals with a time of 26.11 seconds.
      “That was an easy race. No problems at all”, Tähti told Helsingin Sanomat over the telephone from Christchurch.
      The 200-metre semifinals will be raced on Tuesday, and the final will take place early Wednesday morning Finnish time.
      “If I get a medal I will be satisfied. My speed endurance over the 200-metre distance is not quite at the level it should be.”
      Tähti estimated that his toughest rivals will come from Thailand, the Netherlands, and China.
     
"A good start plays a vital role. The first hundred metres I can definitely manage. If everything falls into place, even victory is a possibility.”
      Later in the week, Tähti will take part even in the 400-metre race.
      The heats and the semifinals take place on Thursday. The final will be raced on Friday.
     
"In the 400-metre distance I have nothing to lose”, says Tähti, who became something of a national hero in 2004 when he collected two golds (100m & 200m) from the Paralympics in Athens. A further gold in the 100 metres and a bronze in the 200 were brought back from Beijing.
      In 2004, Tähti tapped into public sentiment so strongly that at the end of the year he emerged as 6th in the voting for Sports Personality of the Year, something quite unprecedented for a disabled athlete.
     
Just like his teammates, Tähti - who has a vocational degree in information technology - has prepared carefully for this season’s main event.
      He has rarely been seen at home.
      Instead, most of his time has been spent doing sports and taking part in long training camps abroad.
      In November-December, Tähti spent three weeks training in Tenerife.
      Christmas and the New Year he spent at home in Pori, but already in early January he was off again.
     
A training camp in Geelong, on the southeastern coast of Australia, was a success.
      “There were no setbacks, none whatsoever”, said Tähti, who travelled from Australia to New Zealand in mid-January.
      The long training camp trips naturally cost money, but luckily Tähti did not have to reach into his own pocket to fund them.
      Instead, the Finnish Paralympic Committee and the Finnish Athletics Federation covered the expenses.
      They recognise his value - aside from the Paralympic golds, Tähti has twice topped the podium at the European Championships.
     
Tähti has used the same racing wheelchair since 2006.
      "I will replace it before the 2012 London Paralympics - possibly even this summer. So far my attempts to find a lighter chair have failed. It is important to find a chair where all the properties are in perfect balance. Even a light chair still has to be sturdy.”
     
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 25.1.2011


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Paralympics gold-medallist Leo-Pekka Tähti enjoying his success (12.10.2004)
  Leo-Pekka Tähti retains 100 metres title at Paralympics (16.9.2008)
  Leo-Pekka Tähti smashes wheelchair racing 100m world record (23.5.2008)

See also:
  Wrestler Yli-Hannuksela adds Sports Personality of the Year title to Olympic silver medal (23.12.2004)

Links:
  IPC Athletics World Championships Christchurch 2011
  Leo-Pekka Tähti (Wikipedia)
  Wheelchair racing (Wikipedia)

ANTTI NIEMINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
antti.nieminen@hs.fi