Igor Medved to Succeed Lauri Hakola as Head Coach of Finnish Ski Jumping Team

Igor Medved, a seasoned coach from Slovenia, is poised to take the helm as the next head coach of the Finnish ski jumping team, according to reports from Yle Sport. Medved, who previously coached Slovenia's B national team, has been in discussions regarding this new role.

Lauri Hakola, who has held the position since spring 2023, has decided to step down for personal and humanitarian reasons, as confirmed by Mika Kojonkoski, the head of ski jumping and Nordic combined in Finland. Hakola, who also coached Finland's men's ski jumping A team from 2018 to 2020, will not continue in his role for the upcoming season.

Medved, a former ski jumper who competed in the World Cup from 2001 to 2003 and achieved a personal best of third place in Trondheim, has a deep connection to Finland. His experience includes participating in the Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti in 2001 and finishing 20th in the 2002 Ski Flying World Championships. Medved's jumping career concluded in 2006, after which he served as an assistant coach for Slovenia's A team and later became the head coach of the B team until 2024.

While negotiations are ongoing, no official contract has yet been finalized for Medved's appointment, marking this potential role as his first international coaching assignment.