Krista LAHTEENMAKI

START OF THE SPORTING CAREER

• Lähteenmäki lived in the country and helped a lot his father on a farm
• She started skiing with her older sister and has been skiing all her life, but more actively from year 2003 onwards. That year she also started to work with personal coach Matti Haavisto, and still is
CAREER
• Important milestone on her athlete career was moving to Vuokatti, some 500 km from her home, for sports high school in 2006
• In Finland, Lähteenmäki was known as great talent already in her junior years
• Her first international success came in 2007 when she won Nordic Junior Championships (U18) gold medal
• At the Finnish national level her breakthrough season happened in 2008-9, when she debuted at World Championships in Liberec
• Season 2009-10 started with recovering from mycoplasma infection, but had a debut at Olympic Games as highlight
• At season 2010-11 she surprised many with her solid performances from race to race, including her first ever podium finish in Oberhof during Tour de Ski and winning team sprint and relay medals in World Championships in Oslo 2011
• Lahteenmaki has become a valuable member of the Finnish team and with Riikka Sarasoja-Lilja won bronze medal in the team sprint free in Val di Fiemme 2013

PERSONAL

• Lähteenmäki spent her childhood in Ikaalinen, countryside some 230 km from Helsinki
• Already as child she was helping her dad with various farm work - “I believe that is where my strength and guts come from”, Lähteenmäki says
• Strength and guts were also needed in the years before sports high school as her distance to school was 52 km one way
• Lähteenmäki has done a lot of other sports in her youth – and pretty much also everything else, which was possible in Ikaalinen.
• Orienteering is still close to Lähteenmäki’s heart, and her annual highlight is running the first leg in Venla relay for Kyrös-Rasti
• In summer 2011, she challenged herself to compete in 100 m and 800 m track events. Her running shape was proven good, as she clocked 13,67 in 100 m and respectively 2.09,63 in 800m
• She graduated from Vuokatti sports high school in 2010, and chose to focus full time in cross-country skiing since
• Lähteenmäki, whose nickname is Ripe, also moved from Vuokatti back to southern Finland, currently living in Kuortane with her boyfriend
• On her free time she likes to play with her dog Carla

QUICK LINKS

Website: www.kristalahteenmaki.fi/