It was an ordinary Friday morning in Chişinău, until it wasn’t. Initially, looking at the draw of the -63 kg category, a few imagined that Finland would soon celebrate its first ever gold at this level. By the end of the day, Louna-Lumia Seikkula stood speechless with sparkling watery eyes, realising she had just made history. “I don’t even know how to feel, it’s just amazing,” she said, her voice trembling. “I didn’t expect this at all.”
A Rough Start, a Calm Mind
The morning hadn’t started well for Seikkula. “I actually felt awful,” she laughed, still processing the moment. “But fight by fight, it went better and better. I just tried to stay calm the whole day.” It wasn’t until after her second contest that something shifted. “The first fight felt terrible, I didn’t know what kind of day it would be but after the second one, I thought, maybe… maybe I can do something today.”
Seikkula’s judo journey began long before she understood what competition meant. “I started judo when I was about four,” she recalled with a smile. “My dad does judo, he is my coach, and my sister too. So it’s really a family thing. Even my mum has done judo.”
Despite growing up around the sport, her path to success wasn’t instant. “There were no big results for a long time, well at this level, ever. Maybe some in juniors, but nothing major. It’s been a long journey, lots of ups and downs, and quite a few injuries too.”
She paused, eyes shining with disbelief. “This is my first gold medal at any big event. I don’t even have a gold from European Cups or Opens, this is my first ever big European result.”
Motivation and Finnish Pride
Finland has been enjoying a quiet but steady rise in international judo, with names like Martti Puumalainen and Luukas Sahkinen making waves on the IJF World Tour. For Seikkula, seeing her compatriots succeed lit the spark.
“When I see other Finns winning medals, I think maybe I can do it too,” she said. “It shows it’s possible. I just love this sport, it’s so tough, but that’s what makes it beautiful. You have to fight for every second, for every point.”
Just days after her triumph, Seikkula’s next challenge awaits and it’s not another competition. “I finished high school before the summer, and on Sunday, when I get home, I am going straight to the army,” she said proudly. “There’s a special programme for athletes, so I can keep training and competing. I wanted to do something different from studying, my sister did well in the army too, so I have always been interested.”
Balancing judo with military service won’t be easy, but she’s ready. “I can’t train as much, but I will still compete and go to camps. It is just another kind of challenge.” When asked to sum up the day in a single word, Seikkula didn’t hesitate. “Unbelievable” she said, smiling wide.
A Coach’s Perspective
For Eetu Laamanen, Finland’s U23 head coach, the day was just as emotional. “It was a long day,” he said. “The first fight was tough but she got better and better. By the semi-final, she was relaxed and focused, she knew she had nothing to lose. That mindset made the difference.”
The result was historic. “This is the first time Finland has ever had an U23 European champion,” Laamanen confirmed. “We have had medals before, but never gold. It shows that the work we have been doing for years is starting to pay off.”
Since 2021, the Finnish Judo Federation has built a centralised training system in Helsinki, where cadets, juniors, and seniors train together. “It’s beginning to show results,” Laamanen said. “We still have a lot to develop but now we know it’s possible to achieve something big.”
For Finnish judo, Seikkula’s gold means more than a medal, it’s a symbol of what is to come. For the 20-year-old herself, it’s the beginning of a new chapter.
“I still can’t believe it,” she said, glancing at the medal hanging around her neck. “But maybe when I wake up tomorrow, I will realise it’s real.”
Author: Szandra Szogedi