Joel Naukkarinen

Joel Kristian Naukkarinen (born 30 March 1993), also known as Rowing Finn, is a Finnish competitive rower who represents Tako Rowing Club. In addition to sports, Naukkarinen has trained as a doctor and he graduated from the University of Eastern Finland with a licentiate in medicine in 2022. In addition he is a researcher in the clinical doctoral program of the University of Eastern Finland. Naukkarinen is a four-time world champion in indoor rowing, a ten-time World Championship medalist and a three-time European Championship medalist.
Naukkarinen holds 16 Finnish records and one standing world record. Naukkarinen has 152 Finnish Championship medals. Naukkarinen has won the Nordic Championships in 2015 and 2022.
In February 2022, Naukkarinen was awarded Rower of the Month by the World Rowing Federation.
== Championship medals ==
Indoor rowing:
* 2018, World Indoor Rowing Championships, silver medal, 2000 m, Alexandria, USA
* 2019, European Championships, bronze medal, 2000 m, Copenhagen, Denmark
* 2019, European Championships, gold medal, 200 m, Copenhagen, Denmark
* 2020, European Championships, bronze medal, 500 m, Prague, Czech Republic
* 2020, World Championships, silver medal, 500 m, Paris, France
* 2021, World Championships, gold medal, men’s team relay, virtual competition (Joel Naukkarinen, Toni Koski, Mika Viitakangas, Teemu Keljo)
* 2021, World Championships, bronze medal, 500 m, virtual competition
* 2021, World Championships, silver medal, one-hour rowing, virtual competition
* 2021, World Championships, gold medal, mixed team relay, virtual competition (Joel Naukkarinen, Toni Koski, Sonja Peltola, Anni Keisanen)
* 2022, World Championships, gold medals, men’s team relay, Hamburg, Germany (Joel Naukkarinen, Joonas Kuivalainen, Martti Kirjola, Sam Zerlik)
* 2022, World Championships, gold medal, mixed team relay, Hamburg, Germany (Joel Naukkarinen, Joonas Kuivalainen, Sonja Peltola, Anni Keisanen)
* 2022, World Championships, bronze medal, 2000 m, Hamburg, Germany
* 2023, European Indoor Rowing Championships, silver medal, 2000 m, Paris, France
Coastal rowing:
* 2022, World Rowing Coastal Championships, Beach Sprint, bronze medal, Saundersfoot, Wales
== Indoor rowing ==
Naukkarinen is Finland's most successful indoor rower. In 2015, he became the first men's open category rower to win the Finnish Championship title in all distances (500 m, 2,000 m, 10,000 m and 42,195 m). In 2022, Naukkarinen also became the Finnish record holder for each distance when he broke Klaus Geiger's historic 2,000 m and 10,000 m records from 1997.
In total Naukkarinen has won 9 World Championship medals and 4 European Championship medals in indoor rowing.
Naukkarinen has broken the world records for 100 m, one minute and 100 kilometers. His 100 kilometer record of 6:06:06.1 (average speed 1:49.8/500 m) is still standing, from when Naukkarinen rowed at the Kuopio Market Square at the opening of the Christmas season on 24 November 2018.
In 2020, Naukkarinen founded an unofficial Finnish indoor rowing national team and has worked as a head coach and leader of the team. Since then the Finnish team has won almost every world team championship in the men's, women's and mixed relays.
In January 2023, Naukkarinen earned the silver for the men’s 2000 m at the European World Indoor Championships in Paris, France with a time of 05:51.5.
In November 2022, Naukkarinen qualified and was invited to participate in the World Indoor Rowing Championships in Mississauga, Canada. He ranked first out of 10 men invited to the Versa Challenge to determine the most fit versatile rower in the world. On 26 March 2023, Naukkarinen was crowned the World Indoor Rowing Versa Champion after completing 4 indoor rowing events over 2 days.
=== Finnish records ===
Naukkarinen has several Finnish records in indoor rowing.
Travel Distance	Series	IT 	/500 m	Holder 	Date
500 m 	U23 	1:14.8 	1:14.8	Joel Naukkarinen 	4 October 2014
500 m 	Open 	1:13.5 	1:13.5	Joel Naukkarinen 	26 January 2022
1000 m 	U23 	2:44.1 	1:22.0	Joel Naukkarinen 	24 January 2015
1000 m 	Open 	2:42.6 	1:21.3	Joel Naukkarinen 	28 January 2017
2000 m 	U23 	5:54.0 	1:28.5	Joel Naukkarinen 	31 January 2015
2000 m 	Open 	5:46.1 	1:26.5	Joel Naukkarinen 	26 February 2022
5000 m 	U19 	17:18,8 	1:43.9	Joel Naukkarinen 	19 March 2011
10,000 m 	U23 	32:44.8 	1:38.2	Joel Naukkarinen 	15 March 2015
10,000 m 	Open 	32:08.5 	1:36.4	Joel Naukkarinen 	15 February 2022
21,097 m 	U20 	1:14:56.9	1:46.5	Joel Naukkarinen 	21 April 2012
21,097 m 	U23 	1:14:56.9	1:46.5	Joel Naukkarinen 	21 April 2012
21,097 m 	Open 	1:14:56.9	1:46.5	Joel Naukkarinen 	21 April 2012
42,195 m 	U23 	2:26:00.5	1:43.8	Joel Naukkarinen 	25 April 2015
42,195 m 	Open 	2:26:00.5	1:43.8	Joel Naukkarinen 	25 April 2015
Team
4 × 1000 m Men	Open 	2:52.5 	1:26.3	Joel NaukkarinenAntti KilpeläinenMartti KirjolaAntti Kirjola 	23 January 2016
Team
4 × 1000 m Open mixed team	Open 	3:09.9 	1:35.0	Joel NaukkarinenKasper HirvilampiEeva KarppinenSuvi Karppinen	3 February 2018
== History ==
Born in Ummeljoki, Kouvola, Naukkarinen started rowing in 2009 in the Anjalankoski high school’s church boat rowing team. In 2010, he joined the Valkeala Rowing Club where he rowed his first season. In the summer of 2010, Naukkarinen switched from his main sport, boxing, to rowing. In the winter of 2010–2011 Naukkarinen started competing in indoor rowing and won the U19 Finnish championship in the 500 m, 5000 m and half marathon distances.
In March 2023 he switched to the Kouvola Rowing Club and started to row traditional Finnish wooden boats with Antti Kilpeläinen. The double was superior in the U23 category and also won the Finnish Champion title in a sprint in the men's open category using traditional Finnish wooden boats.
Following those wins, the rowing pair decided to change to flat water (Olympic) rowing to aim for the international level.
From 2012 to 2022, Naukkarinen represented famous Neste Rowing Club and switched to Tako Rowing Club in 2023.
== Olympic rowing ==
Naukkarinen started his Olympic rowing career with Antti Kilpeläinen in 2012. In the first season, the double won a U23 Finnish Championship gold medal and a bronze medal in open category. In 2013, the double finished sixth in the Nordic Championships and won both the double and the coxless pair in the Finnish Championships. They were selected to join the Finland national team in 2014.
In 2014, the pair represented Finland in their first World Rowing Cup|World Cup competition in Aiguebelette, where they rowed 12th place. In Varese U23 World Championships they rowed 11th place and Amsterdam World Championships 18th place with their record time of 6:40. As a pair, they were known as the Finnishpair. The partnership ended in 2016.
In 2017, Naukkarinen changed to single sculling and rowed in the World Cup in Poznan with a record time of 6:53.6. Naukkarinen's best World Cup ranking in single scull was 9th in Plovdiv in 2019.
In the 2016 University European Championships Naukkarinen won a bronze medal, in 2017 fourth place, 2018 and 2019 a silver medal and 2022 a gold medal.
At the World University Championships in Shanghai in 2018, Naukkarinen won bronze medal. Naukkarinen has won the Finnish Championship in all six open boat classes in both 2000 m and 500 m distances.
In 2019, there was a controversy about the competition selections in Finland, when Naukkarinen highlighted in the media uncertainties in the Finnish selection system. Naukkarinen raised concerns about the conflict of interest with the head coach working as the personal coach of his fellow competitor Robert Ven.
== Coastal rowing ==
Naukkarinen has been rowing coastal boats since 2019. In the 2021 World Rowing Coastal Championships, Naukkarinen rowed a double with Juho-Pekka Petäjäniemi and the coxed four with Petäjäniemi, Jukka-Pekka Kauppi, Pekka Mäkelä and Saija Pihkanen (cox). At that time, the Finnish boat crews reached the A-final for the first time in the Coastal boat’s World Championships.
In the 2022 World Championships Beach sprint Naukkarinen won Finland’s first medal in the Coastal Rowing World Championships in Saundersfoot, Wales.
Naukkarinen established and is responsible for a Finland national team within the Department of Coastal Rowing under the direction of the Finnish Canoeing and Rowing Federation. Naukkarinen is also the coastal manager of the Neste Rowing Club.
== Other achievements ==
In total, Naukkarinen has won 152 Finnish Championship medals in different boat classes. He has won the Finnish Champion title in church boat rowing, small wooden boats, all distances in indoor rowing, Olympic classes in every distance and boat class, and every boat class in coastal rowing.
Naukkarinen has competed at the World Championships in all three different rowing disciplines of the World Rowing Federation (flat water, indoor rowing and coastal rowing). Naukkarinen has competed at the World Rowing Cup|World Cup level in single, double scull and coxless pair.
Naukkarinen has also won several Nordic Championship and Nordic Open medals. In 2021, Naukkarinen rowed as the first rower of Sulkava Soutu's competition route with an Olympic single scull in 4:52:51. Naukkarinen has been chosen as the best rower of the year in different rowing sports several times.
== Coaching ==
Naukkarinen is coached by an international team consisting of eight coaches. In addition, forty different experts are working with the coaching team. Naukkarinen has been seeking coaching expertise from abroad for several years. Different coaches and coaching areas:
* Technique coaching, head coach Ken Davey, Australia
* Physical training, head coach Tuomas Rytkönen, Athletica
* Sports coach in Finland, Jani Heino, Turku Sports Academy
* General skills and physical abilities coach, testing, Antti Heinänen, Kuopio region sports academy
* Exercise physiology, sports medicine and testing, Timo Eronen, Kuopio
* Physical training, metabolism, Hendrik Plevoets, Belgium
* Sports psychology
* National team coaching
Expert support from the team:
* Digital services
* Data analytics
* Nutritional coaching
* Sleep coaching
* High altitude training
* Neurophysiology
* Rowing technology and innovation support
* Biomechanics of rowing
* Massage and physical therapy
* Medical services of various specialties
* Mentoring and other top athletes
== High altitude training ==
In the media, Naukkarinen is known for his exceptional training methods of high altitude training. Naukkarinen has developed several different hypoxic tents, rooms, apartments and masks used for different sports, living and sleeping in. He has trained in an oxygen concentration equivalent to the peak of Mount Everest and done experiments to test human physiology in oxygen concentration corresponding to an altitude of up to 12,000 m.
== Education ==
Naukkarinen finished high school in 2012 with excellent grades. He did Conscription in Finland|military service at the Lahti Sports School of Defence Forces and a reserve officers training corps. From there, Naukkarinen applied to study medicine at the University of Eastern Finland and began his studies in 2013. Naukkarinen completed the education program in nine years according to his personal study plan. He graduated with a licentiate in medicine in March 2022.
== Research ==
In April 2022, Naukkarinen started doctoral training at the University of Eastern Finland. Naukkarinen is doing his doctoral research for clinical neurophysiology at Kuopio University Hospital. Together with the research team, they are studying neurobiological mechanisms of fatigue and endurance in the brain and how those can be modulated.
== Family ==
Naukkarinen comes from a involved in sports. His cousin, Alexander Madsen plays basketball abroad. While his other cousins, Michaela Madsen and Yasmine Madsen play volleyball representing the Finland national team.
== Points of interest ==
Naukkarinen's areas of interest are neurosciences and exercise physiology. Towards the end of his studies, he started researching projects related to these topics. Even before studying medicine, Naukkarinen was interested in anatomy, sports nutrition and psychology, and coaching.
Category:1993 births
Category:People from Kouvola