perjantai 15. tammikuuta 2010

FLYING FINN ANSSI KOIVURANTA"THE FINNISH STAR"

Anssi Koivuranta



Anssi Koivuranta
Anssi Koivuranta.JPG
Personal information
Full name Anssi Einar Koivuranta
Nickname AnZi
Date of birth July 3, 1988 (age 21)(1988-07-03)
Place of birth Kuusamo, Finland
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7+12 in)
Professional information
Club Kuusamon Erä-Veikot
Skis Fischer[1]
World Cup
Seasons 2003–present
Wins 7
Additional podiums 17
Total podiums 24
Infobox last updated on:
15 March 2009
Medal record
Men's nordic combined
Olympic Games
Bronze 2006 Turin 4 x 5 km team
World Championships
Gold 2007 Sapporo 4 x 5 km team
Bronze 2007 Sapporo 15 km individual

Anssi Koivuranta (born 3 July 1988 in Kuusamo) is a Nordic combined skier from Finland. Best known for that he won 2008–09 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup. He won the gold medal in the 4 × 5 km team event and a bronze medal in the 15 km Gundersen race at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo. He is known for his immense ski jumping skills, but has also improved his cross-country skiing during season 2008-2009.

Contents

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Early life and career

Born in Kuusamo, Koivuranta represents the sports club Kuusamon Erä Veikot from Kuusamo.[1] He began with ski jumping when he was six years old, breaking his arm in a jump during his first year. He took up Nordic combined when he was eight.[2] Koivuranta eventually grew to be 1.72 m (5 ft 7+12 in) tall; his weight is 55 kilograms (120 lb).[2]

Koivuranta made his international debut in the B World Cup in March 2003.[1] Koivuranta competed in the World Cup for the first time in Kuusamo 2003, but was disqualified from both races because he had too long skis.[citation needed] In February 2004 he won a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in Stryn. In March 2004, at the very end of the 2003–04 season, Koivuranta made his proper debut in the World Cup circuit—in two races in Lahti, he finished 24th and 23rd respectively.[1]

[edit] International career

[edit] World Cup breakthrough

Already in December the same year, in the early 2004–05 season, he finished among the top ten for the first time, with an eighth place in the sprint race in Trondheim. His first podium achievement came in January 2005, with a third place in Sapporo. Almost one month after that he finished sixth in the sprint distance at the 2005 World Championships. Before the season was over, he would win a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in Rovaniemi.[1]

[edit] 2005-08

The 2005–06 season saw Koivuranta open with a second place, in Kuusamo in November. During the course of the season he achieved another second place as well as two third places.[1] He also earned a bronze medal in the 4 x 5 team event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. In December 2006 he achieved two second places in a row, and followed with consistent achievements among the top fifteen. At the 2007 World Championships in Sapporo he won the gold medal in the 4 x 5 km team event, won a bronze medal in the 15 km Gundersen race and finished fourth in the sprint. At his last Junior World Championships, held in Tarvisio in March 2007, he won a gold and a silver medal.[1] The same level of performance continued in the 2007–08 season, placing twice on the podium.[1]

[edit] World Cup winner and Career after 2008

Having been among the better ski jumpers in the Nordic combined sport from 2004, Koivuranta struggled somewhat in the cross-country skiing part. Concentrating on improving his cross-country skiing abilities, from 2005 he managed to improve little by little. He owed his increased share of podium achievements to this training. As of 2008–09 Koivuranta had become one of the better cross-country skiers as well, in part thanks to a newly appointed coach on the Finnish national team.[citation needed] Koivuranta won his first World Cup race in November 2008 in Kuusamo. He followed up with victories in Trondheim and Oberhof in December, and Schonach and Chaux Neuve in January.[1][3] The World Championships in Liberec 2009, was not any good for Koivuranta, he did not take any medal at all. Two fourth places as the best result. Koivuranta was also sick under the World Championships witch resulted in bad results and that he was unable to compete in the team competition.

On 14 March Koivuranta won the Gundersen event at Vickersund, the penultimate race of the season. The following day he finished 8th in the 2nd Gundersen of weekend. This has high enough for him to clinch the 2008–09 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, his first world cup title. He was 100 points before the man on the second place Magnus Moan, at the end.

[edit] World Cup victories

Date Location Race
30 November 2008 Kuusamo Gundersen
7 December 2008 Trondheim Gundersen
28 December 2008 Oberhof Gundersen
4 January 2009 Schonach Gundersen
1 February 2009 Chaux Neuve Gundersen
14 February 2009 Klingenthal Gundersen
14 March 2009 Vikersund Gundersen

[edit] FM 2009 Winner

In the ski jumping Finnish Championships 2009 the big favourite was Harri Olli. But Koivuranta won the ski jumping championships, despite he is actually a Nordic combined skier. Koivuranta won with 13 points before Olli and 19 before Tami Kiuru, who received the third place. But Koivuranta says the he would not compete in the Ski jumping world championships in Liberec 2009. He says he has his focus on the Nordic combined world championships.

[edit] Ski jumping career

Something that not many people knows is that Koivuranta actually won a FIS-Cupski jumping 2006. He was better than jumpers such as Emmanuel ChedalNicolas Dessum. He was involved in the Finnish team who took a third place in the Junior World Championships in Rovaniemi 2005. In the individual Gundersen competition he took a 12th place. He does also have a 10th place from the Continental Cup competition in and

[edit] Planica 2009

Koivuranta's personal best ski jump is 214,5 metres as trialjumper in Planica.[2] It was in the second training round that he jumped 214,5 and tas on the second place of all. Worth a mention is that the best jumper jumped with lower speed.


Hill Records

  • The hill record in Vikersund K-105 witch is 122,5 metres is also took by Koivuranta.
  • He has the non-official record in Liberec with 106,5 metres.
  • With 148,5 metres he has also made the longest jump in the Vogtlandarena in Klingenthal, but he fell just after landing. The pressure on his legs was too high.

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