TURUN TUOMIOPÄIVÄ 17.8.-19.8.2023
CROSSFIT GAMES ATHLETES
IN TURUN TUOMIOPÄIVÄ
The hottest sports festival of the summer is going international at a fast pace - it's Finland's first CrossFit competition with an international license. This year (2022), the event will also include top names from around the world, such as a professional crossfitter Adrian Mundwiler from Switzerland. Emilia Leppänen, who brought home a gold medal from the CF Games 35-39-year-old category is also participating Turun Tuomiopäivä this year. And as usual, Finland's fittest man Jonne Koski has planned the events where the athletes will challenge themselves in August at Urheilupuiston Yläkenttä, Turku.
Four-time Games athlete Adrian Mundwiler to compete in Turku
Adrian Mundwiler is a Swiss CrossFit athlete who has competed in the Games four times and placed eighth in his best. This ranking is not enough for Mundwiler, he says that his greatest achievements are yet to come.
Adrian participated in the semi-finals of the CrossFit Games this year and would have had a chance to get a place in the competition at the beginning of July through the Last-Chance Qualifier, as Jonne did. However, he decided to skip the Last-Chance Qualifier.
- Rehabilitation from the injury is still ongoing, although I can already do almost everything again. I'm no longer interested in how many Games appearances I have on my list. I care more about coming to the Games in the best possible shape and being a competitor and not just a participant. Because of my injury, I'm not yet in the Games condition I'd like to be, so it didn't make sense for me to participate.
When asked about the goals for Turun Tuomiopäivä, Adrian's comment was: "Kick some Finnish asses or get my ass kicked."
Jonne knows Adrian through CrossFit. Koski thinks it's great that Mundwiler was included in Turun Tuomiopäivä.
- I think it will raise the level and for Finns it will be an honor and a great thing to compete with a successful CrossFit athlete.
Jonne believes that the Finns will also put up a challenge for Adrian in Turun Tuomiopäivä.
Jonne and Emilia are proud of Turun Tuomiopäivä's CrossFit license
We asked Jonne and Emilia what it means to get a CrossFit license. Jonne says that the license is of great importance to the Finnish CrossFit scene.
- A great thing and a big step forward. It will bring attention and credibility as a competition internationally. This is also very important for the CrossFit scene in Finland - we are one of the newest competitions and we develop at a fast pace every year.
Leppänen agreed with Koski and emphasized how great it is that now we can actually talk about a CrossFit competition.
- I agree, a really important and meaningful thing that brings professionalism to the competition. Surely at some point more foreign athletes will be interested and can now find Turun Tuomiopäivä from the list. A really important and big thing for the sport in Finland is also the fact that now you can honestly and proudly talk about a CrossFit competition.
Prize money in Turun Tuomiopäivä
Prize money is offered in the Turun Tuomiopäivä Elite-division, which is quite rare in Finland - the winners of the women's and men's divisions receive 1000 euros. In Jonne's opinion, we are going in the right direction here.
- A great way to motivate Finnish athletes who are not yet able to take up sports as a profession. Every athlete makes a big effort to be able to compete and do well there, so it's great that there is also a cash prize available.
How did Jonne Koski end up participating in Turun Tuomiopäivä?
Jonne originally ended up planning competitive sports when he received a call in 2019 from Meri and Aino, who are the organizers of Turun Tuomiopäivä.
- I was contacted by two brisk race organizers four years ago,
that there's a chance to plan events. At that point I didn't
really have any experience in planning competitions.
Of course, I had already programmed for myself and for others
for a longer time and took part in a lot of competitions, but not
ever planned events for an actual competition. I decided to get on board
and I'm happy that I did - I have gained a lot, learned a lot, it has been
really nice and sometimes challenging. Every year it seems to get better!
Koski mentions the Atlas rock ladder as his favorite event from the previous Tuomiopäivä years in Turku - in Jonne's opinion, it was nice to perform and at the same time friendly to the public.
How does the rising level of CrossFit in Finland show in event planning?
There are more Games athletes in Finland all the time and the level of crossfitters is rising. When Jonne is asked if this has affected the event planning, he thinks about the sport through the big picture.
- When there are two divisions, you can bring a little more challenging movements to the Elite-division and increase the weights a little. Koski personally feels that CrossFit has sometimes had a bit of a theme, that every year we always go to heavier weights and make everything more difficult, although it is maybe not always necessary. Even the simple movements are really good, and everything doesn't have to be too challenging. Rather a mixture of slightly more challenging skills and simpler ones. However, athletes must not be let off too easily either!
What is different about Turun Tuomiopäivä this year compared to previous years?
- Every year we try to be a little different, so that there are not always just basic CrossFit movements, which can be done in the gym as well. Turun Tuomiopäivä is an outdoor event and we have the opportunity to use a slightly different location, so we always try to bring something a little more fun. Maybe it will happen this year too...
This year, Turun Tuomiopäivä starts with open water swimming for the first time ever. The second special location is in the event three, when Tuomiopäivä returns to the riverside after a year's break.
"Having competed a lot myself
and as a spectator, I can say that Turun Tuomiopäivä is really top class"
How does Turun Tuomiopäivä differ from other competitions?
Emilia Leppänen is a 35-year-old CrossFit athlete from Turku who lives with Jonne and their dog Pepi in Espoo. Emilia has competed in Turun Tuomiopäivä once before and remembers her experience fondly.
- An amazing experience. The race was organized incredibly well, and of course when family and friends are there to cheer, it's really nice. An important memory for me from the last time is when my nephews got to cheer me on for the first time and it was so great! And that time I also got to go up to the highest podium, so there are a lot of great memories.
Emilia and Jonne agree that Turun Tuomiopäivä is a really well-organized event. Emilia compares it to other competitions she has participated in around the world.
- The event is outside, which is wonderful and it's a good setting. Turun Tuomiopäivä is really well organized, everyone knows what is going to happen and sticks to the schedule. I was very proud of the organizers when everything went so smoothly the last time I was involved! By the fact that things work, you can stand out from many world-class competitions.
Jonne applauds and praises the entire organizing team.
- Having visited a lot of competitions as a competitor and also as a spectator, I can say that Turun Tuomiopäivä is definitely top class.
Jonne and Emilia are continuing from the CrossFit Games to Turun Tuomiopäivä
The 2022 CrossFit Games were held in the USA from August 3-7. This year's games were Jonne's eighth Games and Emilia's third. Jonne has a fantastic sixth place in his pocket for 2021, and there is no end in sight to the pursuit of the top. Emilia's hunger for victory was also strong this year - she competed for the first time in the Masters series and won the entire division. Jonne got a spot in the Last-Chance Qualifier after an interrupted season, and was relieved.
- Really relieved to be able to compete - it wasn't an A-plan to go to the competitions this way, but sometimes everything doesn't go well. I was in pain for a while in that semi-final and there was already a bit of a feeling of giving up, when I felt so bad compared to how the events had felt in training. But luckily I was still able to squeeze through to the end and get that Last-Chance Qualifier spot. After all, it doesn't matter how you got to the Games - we're all on the same page at the Games. It's a good feeling, the training has felt good and I'm starting to feel more like my old self all the time. This has been a bit more interrupted season, as my shoulder surgery has made everything a bit more difficult. But it's really nice to be able to join the Games now that there is a historically large group from Finland on the trip! Eighth year and hopefully there will be a better ranking again.
Jonne said before the Games that he is not going to settle for a worse ranking than last year, even though there is an injury on the background and an interrupted season.
- I'm going to compete just like before, I've tried to forget the difficulties of the early season - they're already history. Clean table and let's start competing for the podium places.
Jonne finished 15th in this year's Games. Even though he was aiming higher, Koski does not consider his ranking bad after such a challenging season.
- This was enough for me this time and there is still hunger left for next year.
This year, Emilia competed at the Games for the first time in the Masters division for 35-39-year-olds, where only the 10 fittest crossfitters in their age group from around the world can compete. Before the competition trip, Emilia told us how she ended up in the Masters series.
- After the previous season, I thought about what the next big goal would be. I realized I'm turning 35 this year so I could switch division to the Masters. Now there would be a chance to get on the Games podium and that's what I want to aim for. So the goal is to win. Physically, it's certainly possible, let's see what kind of events there are! The goal is to win, but of course I'm going there with the feeling that I hope the weekend goes smoothly and I get to do my best, so no matter what the result is, I'll be happy then. As long as I get to stay healthy and show the best of myself, we'll see how far it'll get me!
In CrossFit, you usually don't find out about the events until the week of the competition. The intensity of the Masters division may be a little lower than the basic women's division - some weights may be less or some challenging movements easier, but others are exactly the same as in the women's division.
The goal was hit - Emilia Leppänen is the winner of the 2022 Masters 35-39 division of the CrossFit Games! In Leppänen's opinion, Finland's rising level of CrossFit is also a great thing.
- It's really cool when a lot of CrossFit athletes from Finland go to the games - now the most ever! It seems that there will certainly be many competitors from Finland in the upcoming years as well. As a sport, we aim for better health and getting people to move and exercise so that they feel better, but nevertheless CrossFit as a competition is good marketing and people are interested in following the athletes and watching them go hard and fast, so that's great, that there are more competitors all the time and the level is rising.
What kind of plans do Koski and Leppänen have for the future?
Jonne definitely wants to compete more.
- Nothing definite has been decided, but at least I still want to compete and I intend to compete. I've already signed up for several competitions - I should go to Madrid and hopefully Rogue and maybe then again to Dubai or Wodapalooza...competing is still the number one thing I want and I hope I can do it for a long time.
Emilia, on the other hand, put all her focus on this year's Games, and the future is completely open.
- I have been training all year with the Games in mind and that is my main goal for the season. What happens after that, I haven't thought about yet. The other thing is that I'm coming to have fun and compete on Turun Tuomiopäivä as well, but from then on I haven't really thought about anything. Then we'll see how it feels and what you feel like doing. Everything is possible!
The CrossFit competition and sports festival Turun Tuomiopäivä will be held on August 17-19, 2023, on Urheilupuiston Yläkenttä, Turku. Spectator tickets can be purchased at www.turuntuomiopaiva.com. Children under the age of 12 can enter the stands for free with an adult.