1971 European champion. Photo Jorma Karhunen

The director of TV2 was Hannu Leminen, one of the great names of Finnish cinema. He was a great admirer of Juha Väätäinen and wanted a waterproof documentary on the new European champion. But Väätäinen was annoyed at reporters. Leminen knew what to do. What if an artist made a portrait of the great athlete on film. The athlete might well consent. The old film mogul was right, Väätäinen accepted me to make a film about himself. That is how I plunged into the enchanting world of sports.

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