TAHTI Leo Pekka

Classification
T54 (IPC, 10 Mar 2021)

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries (leopekkatahti.fi, 01 Sep 2018)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (yle.fi, 12 Jan 2016)

Impairment Details
He was born with paraplegia. (yle.fi, 12 Jan 2016)

General
FUTURE PLANS
He was considering retiring after the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, but said the postponement of the Games made him determined to continue competing beyond 2021. "At the moment [speaking in October 2020], it feels like it [Tokyo] may not be the end point for me. My results have been really good every year, I haven't had any big injuries and the motivation has been really good when it comes to training. Somehow I feel like I got even more hungry because of the coronavirus [pandemic]. In 2022, there will be the world championships, which will also be in Japan. From there it is not long before the next Paralympic Games in France. One year at a time, you never know what's going to happen." (mtvuutiset.fi, 21 Oct 2020; respecta.fi, 07 Oct 2020)

MEDIA ATTENTION
He says that after he won two gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens he initially struggled with the increased media attention. "At first, I didn't enjoy it at all. After Athens, publicity came from everywhere. Suddenly, everyone recognised you, there were invitations to events, and my face was on the cover of magazines. It was a strange feeling. I was really shy at the time, and with the publicity increase, I became even more reserved. Over the years, however, I began to get used to the publicity. I was getting more relaxed with the reporters and I learned to smile a little. However, I still don't like talking to strangers when I'm in public. I understand that people sincerely want to encourage me. Still, getting attention often feels stressful. Sometimes you feel paranoid. Imagining that everyone recognises you, although I'm sure they don't." (apu.fi, 21 Nov 2020)

BOOK
In 2020 his biography was released. The book was written by Finnish sports journalists Harri Laiho and Juha Luotola. "There aren't that many books about Para athletes. If someone identifies with the story of the book, then it's succeeded. The book contains details about my personal life that haven't been revealed before." (mtvuutiset.fi, 21 Oct 2020; respecta.fi, 07 Oct 2020)

WINTER BASE
He has spent the northern hemisphere winter months in Fuengirola, Spain, since 2008. "I first went to Vigo, I didn't understand the language. And the locals weren't too keen to speak English. Although the life is busy and training levels are insanely high, I like the lifestyle of the locals. They're a lot more relaxed." (is.fi, 14 Sep 2019)