Mika Kojonkoski

Mika Kojonkoski ( born April 19, 1963 in Rauma ) is a former Finnish ski jumper and trainers. Most recently, he oversaw the Norwegian national ski jumping team. He is currently working for the Finnish Ski Association.

Career

Playing career

Kojonkoski was the mid 1980s, a moderately successful ski jumpers. His best World Cup result, 1985 was a ninth rank on the normal hill in Chamonix, at the Ski Flying World Championships 1985 in Planica he reached the 23rd place in the individual flies. In the Finnish Championships he had a few years earlier caused a stir when he was runner surprising.

Career as a coach

Last Kojonkoski was one of the best ski coaches worldwide. From 1997 to 1999 he was the coach of the Austrian, from 1999 to 2002 the Finnish and from 2002 to 2011, the Norwegian national ski jumping team.

There he always succeeded in Austria, Finland and Norway to train from previously mediocre athletes winning jumper.

So won under his aegis Sigurd Pettersen in 2002, numerous World Cup wins, as well as winning the Four Hills Tournament 2003/2004. Also worth mentioning is the world record flight by Bjørn Einar Romøren to 239 meters in ski flying in Planica in 2005. On 11 February 2011 this distance was surpassed by the Norwegian ski jumper Johan Remen Evensen also in Vikersund with first 243 meters in training and 246.5 meters in qualifying.

At the Olympic Winter Games 2006 in Turin Norway won, although only a disappointing bronze medal, but with Lars Bystol and Roar Ljøkelsøy he also oversaw two knights, who won in the singles competitions Medals: Ljøkelsøy bronze on the normal hill and Bystol gold on the normal hill and bronze on the large hill.

Kojonkoski is also one of the discoverers of Anders Jacobsen, who won the Four Hills Tournament 2006/2007, as well as Tom Hilde, who finally established himself in the following season at the very top in the World Cup. At the end of the 2010/11 season he finished his job as coach of the Norwegian team and left the ski jumping to work in the future for the Finnish Ski Federation.

During the 2012/2013 World Cup season came Discussions buy that Kojonkoski could replace the criticized Finland's head coach Pekka Niemelä.

Others

Besides his work as a trainer Kojonkoski is also politically active. He sat for eight years at the National Coalition Party in the city parliament of Kuopio and rated among the Finnish presidential elections in 2006 the supporters of Sauli Niinistö.

Kojonkoski is married and has three children.