V: Retell how skating career started for you.
M: I’m 24 years old now, I started to skate when I was 4. I trained in ice rink, situated near Helsinki, but some years ago I started to train also in Oberstorf , Germany. I was there during 6 months, but then I got injured, so after 6 months break, I started to skate in Tampere, Finland. It’s my fifth year now in Tampere. Actually right now I’m injured again, but I hope to be back soon. So now I’m just recovering :)

V: What can you say about Finnish Nationals this year?
M: Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari won, I was not there, because I was already injured. So I can’t say much about this event. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, I missed this season, but next year I will compete and do my best.

V: Have you ever thought about being coach?
M: Just a little bit few times. But I don’t think it’s for me. I probably will work with figure skating, but in other field. You know I study in University of Tampere now, so I will be a doctor, so I can suggest that it would be nice to have a profession like team doctor in Finnish skating team or work as medical specialist during some competitions. But I mean I don’t want to be sport doctor all the time, just sometimes. I would prefer working in hospitals actually. Right now i'm most interested of cardiology.

V: What you usually never do before the competition?
M: Well that’s difficult to say. There are many things, which it’s better not to do before competitions. If you smart enough, you will not run 50 km, for example :)  For sure, I don’t keep diet as some sportsmen do. I mean I try to eat healthy food, not junk food like McDonalds. But I don’t have any limits in food. The only limit is being hungry. If I’m hungry I will eat, if not then no. If competition is in the evening, I will sleep about one hour during the day.

V: Do you think ECH 2009 in Helsinki will raise interest of figure skating in Finland?
M: I would say the interest of figure skating raised about 2 or 3 years ago, mainly it happened because of Kiira Korpi as well as other Finnish girls. They compete successfully, they are very talented skaters and Finnish audience wants to support them more and more. Now you see Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari skated very well in short program, so maybe the interest will raise more after Euros here in Helsinki. I guess this championship is very important event for Finnish figure skating.

V: Being a skater it’s very important to feel music. What is your relationship with music? Do you play any musical instrument? Do you sing from time to time? :)
M: I don’t play any musical instrument, but my dad is professional in this area. He is bass-player . Now he is getting older, so he does not play as much as he used to do. I like to listen to music. I can listen to almost everything, I enjoy bands like Depeche Mode, The Killers for example, but at the same time I like some classical music as well. And you know, sometimes I sing in shower, acoustics is very good there :)

V: What are your plans for nearest future?
M: As I mentioned I’m recovering from injury now, so I try to do some exercises which help to recover as soon as possible, then I will start to skate very soon, after few weeks I will start to do jumps again. Except that I study all the time. I’m on the fifth year now, so I guess I will graduate from University in 2011.