Finland expects "surprises" in Beijing Winter Paralympics

HELSINKI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of six Finnish athletes will participate in three events at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, with the team expecting their athletes to bring "surprises" to create better records.

The Finnish Paralympic team will compete in Alpine skiing, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing.

Santeri Kiiveri, 21, and Maiju Laurila, 42, will compete in men's and women's Alpine skiing respectively; Matti Suur-Hamari, 35, Matti Sairanen, 37 and 30-year-old Tomi Taskinen will compete in snowboarding, while 23-year-old Inkki Inola will compete in cross-country skiing accompanied by ski guide Arttu Kaario.

"If we can win three medals as we did in Pyeongchang [in 2018], I think the team will have achieved our goal," said Kimmo Mustonen, the leader of the Finnish Paralympic team.

Mustonen noted that the Finnish delegation to this year's Paralympic Winter Games is made up of both skilled and young athletes. "There are clear medal candidates in the team, and on the other hand, it can be prepared for positive surprises. We will strive for the best performance at the Beijing Winter Paralympics," he said.

Mustonen expected that Finland will hopefully take medals in snowboarding and Alpine skiing.

Suur-Hamari, competing in snowboarding in the LL2 classification (limited coordination impairment), is the Finland team's top hope for medals in snowboard cross and banked slalom. He took gold and bronze medals in those events at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in South Korea.

Inkki Inola, who is a cross-country skier with congenital visual impairment, is currently a law student at the University of Eastern Finland. Inola will also be a medal hopeful for Finland.

Finland has participated in every Winter Paralympic Games since the first Winter Paralympics.

The Finnish delegation's best result was achieved at the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria, where Finland won a total of 34 medals, including 19 gold medals.

At the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games, the Finnish delegation took home one gold and two bronze medals.

With a total of 188 medals to date, Finland ranks sixth in the all-time Paralympic medal table.