Swimming Breast swimmer Olli Kokko left his job in a Russian company: “It was too much of a moral burden”

Breast swimmer Olli Kokosta became a full-time swimmer for at least a short time due to Russian hostilities. TaTU Tampereen Kokko left his job a couple of days ago.

“I was working for a Russian oil company. It was too much of a moral burden, so I decided to quit. Now I am a swimmer for a while and maybe I will focus on studying, ”Kokko said on Tuesday, the opening day of the Helsinki Swim Meet competition.

In the pool of the Mäkelänrinne swimming center, Kokko won the men’s 50-meter breaststroke at 28.53.

“Looking back, this was a pretty good result,” Kokko said.

Very after the January training period, Kokko became ill with a corona, which messed up his training for several weeks.

“Korona was surprisingly tough. It took me six to seven weeks to not be able to train properly. I have three vaccines, so I was surprised that the disease became so severe, ”Kokko said.

Kokko rose to the headlines at the European Short Track Championships and World Championships last autumn, as he improved the Finnish breaststroke records by 50 and 100 meters in Kazan’s European Championship pool. At the Abu Dhabi World Championships in December, Kokko will swim in the semi-finals of the 50-meter breaststroke.

Long the track feels more difficult than the size, as there will be fewer turns. Kokko is good at doing underwater swimming, which is reflected in the turns.

“I think I’m more of a diver than a swimmer,” Kokko laughed.

He believes the level will also improve on the long track. The European Championships are expected in Italy in August, but the time limit for the World Championships in June should practically be broken as early as the rest of the week at the Stockholm Games.

In Honolulu Kokko, who studied finance and economics at the University of Hawaii, returned to Finland after his studies in 2020, but then worked in Prague for some time.

Kokko, who lived in Finland for another year, moved to Tampere last autumn, where he is training Jere Jänsen in the doctrine. The same coach has piloted Ida Hulkon as a medal swimmer.

Before the summer race, Kokko plans to visit the other side of the globe.

“After the Stockholm Games, I’m going to Hawaii for a training camp for three and a half weeks. Let’s see a little sun, ”Kokko smiled.