Impairment Information |
Type of Impairment |
Impaired range of motion |
Origin of Impairment |
Congenital |
Classification |
T34, F34 |
Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Lohja, FIN |
Occupation |
Athlete, Sports Administrator |
Languages |
Finnish |
Higher education |
Physical Education - Pajulahti Sports Institute: Nastola, FIN |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He took up Para canoe at age 10 before later switching to Para athletics. |
Why this sport? |
He was inspired to take up the sport after watching Leo-Pekka Tahti win a gold medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. |
Club / Team |
Lansi-Uudenmaan Urheilijat : Lohja, FIN |
Name of coach |
Juha Heinanen [personal], FIN, from 2017; Jukka Kesala [personal] |
Senior International Debut |
Year |
2013 |
Competing for |
Finland |
Tournament |
World Championships |
Location |
Lyon, FRA |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Canoeing, wheelchair basketball, maintaining his website, going to the cinema. (henrymanni.com, 01 Sep 2017; eevsku.fi, 21 Apr 2017) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning bronze in the T34 100m at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Facebook page, 09 May 2018) |
Hero / Idol |
Finnish wheelchair racer Leo-Pekka Tahti. (paralympic.org, 28 Jul 2014) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Constraints are only in your own head." (henrymanni.com, 30 Sep 2016) |
Awards and honours |
In 2015 and 2016 he was named Athlete of the Year in Lohja, Finland. (lansi-uusimaa.fi, 02 Feb 2017) |
Other sports |
He won a bronze medal in Para canoe sprint at the 2010 World Championships in Poznan, Poland. (tfp.fi, 09 Sep 2012) |
Famous relatives |
His younger brother Tuomas has represented Finland in Para athletics, and also competed in Para swimming at national youth level. (yleisurheilu.fi, 16 May 2014; lansi-uusimaa.fi, 01 Mar 2013) |
Impairment |
He was born with paraparesis. His ability to walk unsupported deteriorated at a young age, which reduced his walking range to a few hundred metres without support. (paralympia.fi, 02 May 2013) |
Other information |
OCCUPATION
He works for the Finnish Sports Association for People with an Impairment [VAU], organising physical activities for children. (Facebook profile, 28 May 2018; eevsku.fi, 21 Apr 2017)
WEBSITE
He and his national teammate Aleksi Kirjonen run a website called 'Rajoitteet ovat vain omassa paassa' [Constraints are only in your own head]. They post videos of themselves performing stunts and tricks with their wheelchairs. (rovop.fi, 21 Mar 2017) |
