30/07/2015 15:30
Happy birthday Anniina! Finland’s Hasu and Parkkinen living the experience of a lifetime in Klagenfurt
2015 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Final
Klagenfurt, Austria, July 30, 2015. On Thursday morning Essi Hasu and Anniina Parkkinen of Finland lost to Lithuania’s Monika Povilaityte and Ieva Dumbauskaite their third match in Klagenfurt but they still made it out of their pool, a very remarkable achievement for these players who are making their first appearance at the CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship – Final. And this was also the perfect birthday present for the young and sweet Anniina, who turned 19 on Thursday. Their campaign continues now with a match against Italy’s Laura Giombini and Giulia Toti, and as Hasu says, “we do believe that we can have a shot at the victory.”
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Finland’s top duo Riikka Lehtonen/Taru Lahti left the venue in tears on Thursday morning as they lost to 2014 European champions Madelein Meppelink and Marleen van Iersel and this way they failed to make the elimination round. However, there was something to celebrate for Finland’s Beach Volleyball family as Hasu and Parkkinen got the right to continue their campaign at the world’s ‘Mecca’ of this sport. “Our main goal for this season was to compete at the European Championship, and it feels just amazing to be playing here in Klagenfurt,” the more talkative Hasu says. This feeling is shared by the shy Anniina who is also amazed by the ambiance and everything that surrounds the competition in the capital of Carinthia.
Though Finland is not a Beach Volleyball nation, the Nyström twins have been a force to be reckoned with for some years and they won their country’s only European Championship medal – bronze – back in 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The sport is literally booming up there in Finland: “The national federation have set up a special company, Beach Volleyball Team Finland, which is being run by very enthusiastic and hard-working people,” Hasu recounts. “They are full of passion and extremely supportive, so their hard work is paying off as they are also getting more sponsors on board. Riikka and Taru are now able to travel the world and to compete on the World Tour. And there is a lot of positives for us as well since we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the support and assistance we all get.”
Hasu is not a full-time professional player, and after completing her studies four years ago, Essi – who speaks fluent English with a strong American accent, maybe because she watched too much TV, she admits with a laugh – started working as an investment banker. So, Beach Volleyball is more of a passion and she has taken holidays from her job to be in Klagenfurt. “We decided that we would continue this way for this season but maybe in the future, if I really want to be a pro, I have to re-consider something and get more time to train and play,” she says. As for Parkkinen, who last year finished in fourth place at the U23 World Champs in Myslowice together with Taru Lahti, she still has one more year before graduating from high school. After that, “I would like to become a professional Beach Volleyball player and one day to represent Finland at the Olympics,” she says.
They got the points they needed to compete in Klagenfurt also at some zonal events, including the inaugural Kisakallio Open that was held in early July at the Kisakallio Sports Institute which is located some 50 km from Helsinki. “Only a few weeks ago it was announced that Kisakallio would become our training base, as they are willing to host and support us as they already do with our national basketball teams. These are good news because the facilities there are excellent, they are going to build some more outdoor courts and we have everything we need to work and practice,” Hasu recounts. “Zonal events like the Kisakallio Open are very welcome because you get to play stronger teams than those you meet on the national tour, you can keep on developing and improving and on top of this you get ranking points.”
Anniina already received on Thursday morning a present from Essi for her birthday – a candy bar, she says – and adds: “She is lovely, she is the perfect partner.” They also share the same idol: Riikka Lehtonen. “Riikka has been my idol since I was a child. It feels amazing to play and train with her now, a little unreal,” Parkkinen says. “There are a few players I look up to even though I just would like to be myself,” Hasu adds. “However, Riikka is also my friend, so it is difficult for me to say that she’s my idol, even though she definitely is. I also like Reinder Nummerdor very much, I like the way he plays and his demeanour, but can’t really emulate him since he is a man and he is playing in a different position than me…”
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