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SHOOTING
Finnish shooters have taken part at every Olympic Games since London 1908 and have won a total of 21 medals. Shooting
has been Finland’s most successful Olympic sport in the 21st century: In Sydney 2000 Juha Hirvi won silver in 50 m rifle three
positions event, and in Athens 2004 Marko Kemppainen took silver in men’s skeet after losing the gold in a two-man shoot-
off. In Beijing 2008 Satu Mäkelä-Nummela won gold in women’s trap and Henri Häkkinen bronze in men’s air rifle. Mäkelä-
Nummela’s gold was Finland’s fourth in Olympic shooting history. Pentti Linnosvuo won the free pistol event in Melbourne
1956 and the rapid-fire pistol in Tokyo 1964, where Väinö Markkanen took gold in the free pistol.
MEN
Vesa Törnroos
* 2 September 1982 Pertunmaa
Present residence: Heinola
174 cm, 93 kg
Club: Lahden Ampumaseura
Coach: Satu Pusila
Event: Trap
Vesa Törnroos caused a major surprise in May 2015 by finishing fourth at the World Cup competition in Larnaca,
Cyprus, and thereby earning Finland an Olympic quota place for Rio 2016 in men’s trap. Vesa has been training
seriously only for five years after spending seven years on the sidelines due to work commitments. In the Olympic
year his results have improved further: in June he finished eighth in a World Cup competition in San Marino. Vesa is
coached by Satu Pusila, who won four World championship titles in women’s trap and double trap in the 1990’s.
ACHIEVEMENTS (all in trap):
2014 WCh 83rd.
2015 WCh 68th. EM 81st.
2016 EurCh 21st
PERSONAL BEST:
122 (2015)