Taisto Miettinen won the Wife Carrying World Championship for the ninth time on Saturday at the Wife Carrying World Championships held in Sonkajärvi. Miettinen, from Kauniainen, carried Katja Kovanen. The 61 years old Miettinen renewed his world championship title after a shorter training period than usual due to back surgery performed last winter. The man has 30 years of wife carrying behind him.
Lithuanians Vytautas Kirkliauskas and Neringa Kirkliauskiene battled their way to second place. Jonatan Wasenius and Lotta Lindroos from Helsinki came in third.
Team competition victory to Lithuania and the United States
In the team competition, the victory was claimed by Team Beer For My Horses, where Andrew Lee, Joshua Crafter, and Vytautas Kirkliauskas ran carrying Devon Lee. Placing second was the Finnish American Team Big Beef, in which Jani Kumpulehto, John Lund, and Joni Juntunen competed carrying Siiri Koskinen. Team 2 SPOLK came in third, consisting of Santeri Ilmivalta, Lumi Hakomäki, and Jori Juntunen carrying Katy Hagstedt. For the first time in the history of wife carrying, a father and son, Joni Juntunen and his son Jori Juntunen, stepped onto the podium together at the team competition awards ceremony.
Contrary to weather forecasts, the competitions took place in sunny weather and were watched by approximately 2500 people.
“The weather was a positive surprise, and there was a really nice crowd cheering. We are satisfied with the event in every way,” says Venla Luukkonen, Chairman of the Board of Eukonkanto Oy.
Additional information:
Venla Luukkonen
Chairman of the Board Sonkajärven Eukonkanto Oy
tel. +358 400 195666
