Teemu Heino

Teemu Olavi Heino (born December 15, 1976 in Kokemäki) is a Finnish taekwondo practitioner, who competed in the men's heavyweight category.[1] He claimed three medals (one silver and two bronze) in the over-84 kg category at the European Championships since 2002, and represented his nation Finland at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[2] Throughout his sporting career, Heino trained full-time for Kokemäen Taekwondo Club in his native Kokemäki, under head coach and master Pia Aaltonen.[3]

Teemu Heino
Personal information
Full nameTeemu Olavi Heino
Nationality Finland
Born (1976-12-15) 15 December 1976
Kokemäki, Finland
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight97 kg (214 lb)
Sport
SportTaekwondo
Event(s)+80 kg
ClubKokemäen Taekwondo
Coached byPia Aaltonen
Medal record
Men's taekwondo
Representing  Finland
European Championships
2005 Riga +84 kg
2000 Patras +84 kg
2002 Samsun +84 kg

Heino qualified as a lone taekwondo fighter for the Finnish squad in the men's heavyweight class (+80 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by granting a berth and placing third from the European Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan.[4][5] He rounded off a dismal display in a 5–8 defeat to Vietnam's Nguyen Van Hung in the opening match. With his Vietnamese opponent losing to Jordan's Ibrahim Kamal in the quarterfinals, Heino slipped his chances away to compete for an Olympic bronze medal in the repechage.[6][7]

In 2005, Heino improved his ill-fated Olympic feat to satisfy a silver in the final match 8–10 against French fighter and two-time Olympic bronze medalist Pascal Gentil at the European Championships in Riga, Latvia, adding his accolade to a set of two bronze medals obtained in 2000 and 2002.[3] Heino sought a bid on his second attempt for the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, but failed to move beyond the opening round at the World and European Qualifying Tournaments.[8]

Since his Olympic debut in 2004, Heino served as the member and chairman of the athletes' commission under the Finnish Olympic Committee for four years.[9][10]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Teemu Heino". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  2. "Vuosi 2005: Kesälajeissa muutama maukas mitali" [2005 yearender: A few athletes received medals in the Summer] (in Finnish). MTV Finland. 23 December 2005. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  3. "Heino ja Leetberg mitaleille EM-taekwondossa" [Heino and Leetberg earned medals at the European Champs] (in Finnish). MTV Finland. 10 September 2005. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  4. "Athens 2004: Taekwondo – Men's Entry List by NOC" (PDF). Athens 2004. LA84 Foundation. pp. 2–4. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  5. "Heino toi taekwondon olympiapaikan" [Heino attained an Olympic place] (in Finnish). Turun Sanomat. 23 February 2004. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  6. "Taekwondo – Men's Heavyweight (+80kg/+176lbs) Round of 16". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 12 August 2004. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  7. Neva, Tapio (29 August 2004). "Heino tähtää tänään päähän" [Heino ends his run today] (in Finnish). Turun Sanomat. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  8. "Teemu Heino tähtää olympialaisiin omalla taekwondo-salillaan" [Teemu Heino aimed for the Olympic Games in his own taekwondo club] (in Finnish). Länsiväylä. 29 September 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  9. "Jaakko Pitkänen uusi mestaruutensa Iittala-hallissa" [Jaakko Pitkänen, a new titleholder in Iittala hall] (in Finnish). Hämeen Sanomat. 11 July 2005. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  10. "Team Finland: Teemu Heino – Athlete Brochure 2005" (PDF) (in Finnish). Finnish Taekwondo Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
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