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Finnish Athlete of the Year 2021: swimmer Matti Mattsson
Matti Mattsson (Photo by Jesse Väänänen / Olympic Committee)
HELSINKI, January 14, 2022 - Swimmer Matti Mattsson has won the Athletes of the Year 2021 poll of the Finnish Sports Journalists' Association after amassing 139 first-place votes and 2104 points in total.
The Olympic bronze was the second medal of Mattsson's career. He also got the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona. Mattsson, representing the Pori Swimming Club, is coached by Eetu Karvonen.
The Sports Journalists' Association has named the Athlete of the Year since 1947, so this is the 75th time. Matti Mattsson is the third ever swimmer to be named Athlete of the Year after Jani Sievinen (1994) and Hanna-Maria Seppälä (2003).
In the Athlete of the Year 2021 vote, boxer Mira Potkonen was ranked second with 1,157 points, followed by golfer Matilda Castre with 1,026 points, gymnast Emil Soravuo with 1004 points and combined skier Ilkka Herola with 898 points.
Top Ten Athletes of the Year 2021
Mattsson, born on October 5, 1993, won bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021, two months after finishing fourth in the same event at the European Championships in May in Budapest. Mattsson swam four Finnish records at the European Championships.
The Olympic bronze was the second medal of Mattsson's career. He also got the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona. Mattsson, representing the Pori Swimming Club, is coached by Eetu Karvonen.
The Sports Journalists' Association has named the Athlete of the Year since 1947, so this is the 75th time. Matti Mattsson is the third ever swimmer to be named Athlete of the Year after Jani Sievinen (1994) and Hanna-Maria Seppälä (2003).
In the Athlete of the Year 2021 vote, boxer Mira Potkonen was ranked second with 1,157 points, followed by golfer Matilda Castre with 1,026 points, gymnast Emil Soravuo with 1004 points and combined skier Ilkka Herola with 898 points.
Top Ten Athletes of the Year 2021
1. Matti Mattsson, swimming (M) - WINNER
2 .Mira Potkonen, boxing (F)
3. Matilda Castren, golf (F)
4. Emil Soravuo, gymnastic (M)
5. Ilkka Herola, nordic combined (M)
6. Lukas Hradecký, football (M)
7. Aleksander Barkov, icehockey (M)
8. Ristomatti Hakola – Joni Mäki, cross country (M)
9. Toni Piispanen, athletics (M)
10 .Teemu Pukki, football (M)
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