The retirement of five-time CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser has left a cavernous hole in the men’s division heading into the 2021 season. This will invariably make for an exciting dogfight for the top spot at the 2021 CrossFit Games.
CrossFit fans are going to hear a lot of names thrown about as to who might fill Fraser’s shoes: Noah Ohlsen, Justin Medeiros, Samuel Kwant and Jeffrey Adler, all of whom challenged the GOAT (greatest of all-time) at the in-person final last October.
One name that has to be added to the list is Finland’s Jonne Koski. The former competitive swimmer narrowly missed out on the final five, just behind American Chandler Smith, finishing seventh overall. Now with Fraser gone, Koski, like everyone else, is gunning for the top spot.
“My goal for 2021 is to be on the podium at the games and I will give it my absolute best to be the fittest on earth in the future,” said the 26-year-old who had qualified for five previous games, with a top finish of ninth in 2015 and 2017.
Koski had battled back from injury and felt ready to rise again in time for 2020, but then fate had other plans.
“I was coming back hard from two years of recovering from multiple surgeries and finally had a full season of training under me before the competition and that clearly showed in my performance and confidence in all the events,” he said.
“Making it to the finals was the ultimate goal. Sitting in the top five until the final event and then missing it with such small margins was disappointing for sure, and it took a while to be able to look at the weekend positively.”
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When 30 men were allowed to compete over two days at their home gyms, Koski at one point had his ticket booked, but let it slip through his hands, which he said became a great lesson.
“Now, looking back at it and after viewing everything multiple times I can say that I’m happy with all my efforts. Sure, mistakes were made but overall the weekend showed that I’ve improved a ton and I’m closing in to the top guys,” said Koski. “To make it to the finals would have been a great chance to fight for the podium but failures are always a good way to learn and develop for future years.”
The Finnish star burst onto the CrossFit scene in 2014 after a career as a swimmer. He won the Euro Regionals at 19, and a year later claimed the expanded Meridian Regionals, which culminated with his ninth at the CrossFit Games in 2015.
He has also had the chance to train under the guidance of 2009 Games winner Mikko Salo, who also hails from Finland. Based out of Pori, a city on the west coast, he said swimming was a great way to transition into the multifaceted sport of CrossFit.
“After stopping competing in swimming I still kept training really hard but the style just became much more versatile,” he said. “I’d do more running and rowing and spend hours in the gym trying to get stronger. I’ve always loved training, even in swimming, but having more disciplines to train was much more enjoyable and I loved the idea of being a more well-rounded athlete.”
At just 26, he is already considered a veteran of the sport, which bodes well for his future. Koski said CrossFit, like every other sport, requires not only athleticism, but a sharp mind and eye for how to tackle an event, competition or overall season.
He trains six days a week and also incorporates sauna sessions and ice water dunks, which are popular in Scandinavian countries. His active lifestyle includes skiing, cycling, running and tennis. Of course, it is all geared towards one goal, finding his way to the top of the CrossFit podium.
“I believe that being more experienced can be a big advantage on the competition floor. Years of experience in training and coaching CrossFit also has taught me a lot about the human body and how to make it better,” he said.
“In terms of finding my place in the sport I believe I still have many years left as a competitor. My ultimate goal is to be the fittest and to train myself to be the absolute fittest I can be, and I don’t believe that potential has been reached yet.”
