Member Association News: OLL Elects Student-Athlete of the Year
February 12th, 2008
Johanna Manninen, Finnish Student-Athlete of 2007
OLL, the Finnish Student Sports Federation, celebrated its 84th anniversary on Friday February 1st. For this occasion Mr. Tuukka Eloranta, President of the federation, awarded the annual student-athlete prize to Johanna Manninen, who won two gold medals in Bangkok Universiade track and field events. First Johanna took the last lap in the women’s 4 x 100 metres relay which was won by the Finnish team and two days later she was digging gold again in the 100 metres individual competition. Manninen is 27 years and studying sport sciences at the University of Jyväskylä. According to this former world junior champion, combining study and sport has worked rather well for her and the classes have offered her a possibility to forget sport for a little while. She was very happy for her success in Bangkok as well as the nomination for the Finnish Student-Athlete of 2007. Her Universiade victories were noticed up to the highest national level as Finnish President, Mrs. Tarja Halonen, invited her to the reception which is held every year on Finnish Independence Day, 6th December. The Finnish Student Sports Federation has been nominating the Finnish Student-Athlete of the Year Award since 2002. Terms for the nomination are success in international elite sport events for students (Universiade or World University Championships) and proven ability to continue studies along with a sport career.
On the medal podium in Bangkok
