Wrestler Yli-Hannuksela adds Sports Personality of the Year title to Olympic silver medal
Ski-jumping comet Janne Ahonen wins the public vote
Finland’s sports journalists picked over the bones of what was not a particularly good sporting year for the country, and made their choices for Sports Personality of 2004 on Wednesday evening. The accolade went to wrestler Marko Yli-Hannuksela, who took a silver medal at the Athens Olympics, one of only two medals won by the country’s representatives.
The absence of a bona fide Olympic champion, normally a racing certainty to win on these occasions, meant that Yli-Hannuksela was pushed hard for the top spot. In fact runner-up Janne Ahonen, last season’s FIS World Cup winner in the ski-jumping, scored more 1st-place votes than Yli-Hannuksela (103-69) but lost on the overall votes cast.
Ahonen, who has been very much in the news of late after his blockbuster start to the new season, also cleaned up in the popular vote. It is arguable that had Yli-Hannuksela represented a less "traditional" Finnish event (wrestling remains popular here, particularly in the north-west of the country), he might have had an even tougher fight on his hands.
The third podium spot went to Marko Kemppainen, the other person to spare Finnish blushes in Athens. Kemppainen took a silver medal in the skeet shooting. A total of 37 members of the Sports Journalists’ Association ranked Kemppainen at the top of their list.
Kemppainen’s choice of sport hardly helped his cause: whilst Finns enjoy hunting, skeet shooting does not rank very high on the list of events followed avidly in the media.
The top three were followed home by two skiers, slalom and giant slalom specialist Kalle Palander and Nordic Combined World Cup winner Hannu Manninen.
In sixth place came one of the real achievers of the year, Paralympics double gold medallist Leo-Pekka Tähti, who stormed to victory in the wheelchair 100 and 200 metres. In so doing he dramatically raised the profile of his disabled colleagues and forced the journalists to include the disabled in the choice of Sports Personality of the Year.
Previously there had been a separate category for handicapped athletes. The public clearly agreed with Tähti’s inclusion: the amiable young role-model followed Ahonen home in the public voting. Interestingly, a good many of the sports journalists, too, were behind him. In all, 58 of them placed Tähti at the top of their lists.
Finland’s ice hockey squad, which made it to the final of the World Cup of Hockey in September, were in 7th place, and were also voted team of the year. Right behind them in the individual rankings was Miikka Kiprusoff, goalie of the Finnish national team and the Stanley Cup finalists the Calgary Flames.
Another goalie, Antti Niemi of Southampton and Finland, was voted Footballer of the Year. This was almost a foregone conclusion: Niemi had received a similar award from the Finnish FA earlier this year.
The top female entry was Alpine skier Tanja Poutiainen, but her recent heady achievements in World Cup slalom and giant slalom competitions were not enough to lift her above 10th place, behind motorcyclist Juha Salminen, the six-time Enduro World Champion.
The award for Coach of the Year went to Raimo Summanen, who led the Finnish Lions to their World Cup of Hockey successes. It was a bitter-sweet moment for Summanen, who was dismissed from his position not long after the tournament amidst controversy over "personal chemistry".
For the first time, a Young Sports Personality of the Year award was made, and this went to 19-year-old woman golfer Minea Blomqvist, who broke through this year on the Ladies European Tour, winning one event and taking four top ten finishes.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 23.12.2004 - TODAY |
 Wrestler Yli-Hannuksela adds Sports Personality of the Year title to Olympic silver medal |
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