Heading to the European Universities Championships with hefty goals

Taekwondo has traditionally been one of the most successful sports, and expectations are high for the competition, which takes place in August in Warsaw, Poland.

"The team includes internationally successful athletes who have won medals in prestigious competitions. That means that the expectations for success are high", says Essi Labart, head coach for Poomsae for the Finnish team.

Hopes are raised, for example, by the participation of last year's medallist Linda Räkköläinen and another experienced competitor, Frans Salmi. Anna Alatalo will also participate, most likely energised by the Summer World University Games, which she will attend in Germany before the EUC. On the sparring side of things, we recommend keeping an eye out for Mira Sjövall.

In karate and judo, last-minute injuries have affected athletes’ opportunities. Nevertheless, the games offer a great opportunity for sparring and gaining experience in top-level competitions.

"Judoka Erika Vauhkonen's injury was one of the hardest setbacks for this year", says Markku Rantahalvari from the Finnish Student Sports Federation, who is responsible for the selection of the team.

The golden generation of futsal

One of the most interesting sports for Finns is futsal, which is played in July. In Zagreb, Croatia, Finland will be represented by two women's and one men's team. The University of Tampere and the University of Jyväskylä, ranked fourth and sixth in Hungary a year ago, are looking to improve their rankings. Tampere, which is heading to its fourth championships, missed out on medals in Hungary by the narrowest of margins.

"Our golden generation is now at an age where we can definitely expect results from these games. I will be interested to see if they’ve got what it takes", says Rantahalvari.

Jyväskylä surprised everyone with their fresh approach a year ago, and now it's no longer experience but results that they are looking for in these games. They may turn out to be this year’s dark horse.

The Lappeenranta men’s team will be in for a tough ride, but their famous tactics may be able to challenge the mighty teams of Portugal and Croatia. However, they can't afford to make mistakes if they want to make it to the next round.

First tennis competition, first medal?

This will be the first year Finland is represented in tennis at the EUC. Åbo Akademi, headed by Tuomas Rikkonen, has set its sights on a medal at the competition, which takes place at the end of June. We will see if the tennis stars can reach their ambitious goal in the sweltering heat of Coimbra, Portugal.

The last EUC Orienteering Championships were a success, but this July, the team will be missing its top athletes in Łódź, Poland. However, the team definitely holds potential, and all eyes are on the experienced competitors Eetu Korhonen and Niklas Heikkilä. The team’s chances of success will also be affected by the composition of Team Switzerland. The previous games featured some of the world's elite, including Joey Hadorn and the Aebersold siblings Simona and Fabian.

The men’s football team from the University of Jyväskylä, by far the most experienced Finnish university team to attend top-level competitions, will land in Camerino, Italy, at the end of July. The most stylish team year after year, they are looking to advance to the knockout stage and ultimately secure a spot in the medal matches.

More information: Events and training specialist Markku Rantahalvari, +358 44 7800 217

In the photo, the women's futsal team of the University of Jyväskylä at the EUC 2024.

Team Finland by sport

17.–25.7. Futsal (Zagreb, Croatia)
Women
University of Jyväskylä
University of Tampere

Men
LUT University

24.–27.7. Orientation (Lodz, Poland)
Niklas Heikkilä, Åbo Akademi University
Eetu Korhonen, University of Helsinki
Aatu Hirvikallio, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
Tuomas Rokka, Aalto University
Juho Hiltunen, Aalto University

27.7.–3.8. Soccer (Camerino, Italy)
Men
University of Jyväskylä

22.–25.8. Judo (Warsaw, Poland)
Ella Ollikainen, Savonia University of Applied Sciences

22.–25.8. Karate (Warsaw, Poland)
Maria Hintikka, University of Tampere
Veikko Peltola, University of Tampere
Otso Järvinen, University of Tampere

22.–25.8. Taekwondo (Warsaw, Poland)
Anna Alatalo, University of Helsinki
Ada Gustafsson, University of Helsinki
Mira Mänty, University of Tampere
Linda Räkköläinen, University of Helsinki
Frans Salmi, University of Vaasa
Mira Sjövall, University of Tampere

28.7.–3.8. Tennis (Coimbra, Portugal)
August Ehrnrooth, Hanken School of Economics
Tuomas Rikkonen, Åbo Akademi University