Orienteer Akseli Ruohola, who won a silver medal at the World Championships in July, has been named student-athlete of the 2025–26 academic year. Ruohola’s silver and Tuomas Heikkilä’s bronze, won at the same competition, were the first individual medals won by Finnish orienteers at the World Orienteering Sprint Championships in 13 years. Ruohola, who is studying medicine at the University of Turku, also won a bronze medal at the European Championships in August 2025.

The student-athlete of the academic year is selected annually by a selection committee composed of representatives of the Finnish Olympic Committee, the Finnish Paralympic Committee and Urheilijoiden Ammattienedistämissäätiö (the URA Foundation). The award is given to an athlete studying at a university or university of applied sciences who has been particularly successful in balancing their sporting career with their higher education studies. The award includes a 1,500-euro study grant.

The selection committee particularly appreciated how Ruohola has been able to combine his demanding medical studies with his sports career in a way that has allowed him to develop significantly and achieve international success as an athlete. He has also structured his studies around his sports commitments, including taking a gap year from his studies. Ruohola has also emphasised the importance of his studies alongside his sporting career and in building an identity beyond sport.

– It is a great honour to receive the student-athlete of the academic year award. During my studies, I have realised how I can apply what I have learned through sport to my studies. I’d like to thank the University of Turku and the Turku Region Sports Academy for their excellent collaboration over the years. Without this support, my dual career wouldn’t have been as successful as it has been. Finally, I hope that by setting an example, I can encourage young athletes to pursue their dreams in their studies as well, while they are building their sports careers, says Akseli Ruohola.

Risto Keskitalo received an honourable mention for promoting athletes’ dual careers

Risto Keskitalo, a teacher at Kastelli Sports High School, received an honourable mention for his significant and sustained work in promoting dual careers for athletes at the local, national, and international levels. Keskitalo has been one of the key architects of the Finnish sports academy system. He founded Finland’s first sports academy, the Ouluseutu Sports Academy, and has played various leadership roles in its development. At the national level, Keskitalo has been involved in developing Finland’s sports academy and high-performance sport systems in a variety of roles.

At the international level, Keskitalo’s influence is evident in the European Athlete as Student (EAS) dual-career network, which he founded and coordinated in its early stages. In 2008, he was named an honorary member of EAS. The network has served as a significant international forum for cooperation in promoting the integration of athletes’ education and high-performance sport.

The EAS network conference is being held in Oulu from 5 to 7 October, and this year’s national seminar on dual careers for elite athletes is part of it. Earlier this week, more than 200 people from Finland and seventeen other European countries, as well as Brazil and South Africa, who are interested in promoting dual careers for athletes, have gathered in Oulu.