The dream of a fifth WC gold came crashing down. Finland’s national team in cheerleading had to settle for silver behind the USA in the World Cup competitions in Orlando, Florida.
The Finnish cheerleading team did not fully succeed in their final program. They made a few mistakes while the USA performed flawlessly and that decided the decision.
– We came here to win and that was reflected in our program. We took risks and those risks materialized. We made a couple of surprising mistakes, but this is sport, says national team head coach Maria Wahlroos.
Finland had won the last four World Cup titles and Wahlroos warns that Finland will try to reclaim the throne in a year’s time.
– It feels very sad. It felt so good and we had fun on stage. And then came the unexpected miss, says Finland’s team captain and four-time world champion Tuuve Häkkinen.
Blue and white WC bronze in cheer dance
Finland’s team in cheer dance placed third in the high-class final. The host nation USA took the gold and Japan the silver.
Finland’s team captain Lyyra Simpura described the efforts that won the bronze.
– It feels incredible. The level was incredibly high. We are very proud of this medal, she says.
Successful program of the national cheer dance team won WC bronze.
Bild: Finlands cheerleadingförbund / Pekka Pohjakallio
cheerleading
Head coach Mila Tanttu was proud of her mentees.
– A perfect program does not exist, but the team was responsible for two extremely successful performances and enjoyed the moment. We showed that Finnish cheer dancing has taken a big step forward, she says.
Sources: STT and the Finnish Cheerleading Association
