Olympic qualification is nigh for Finland's Nanna Vainio

Maak kennis met Rune van Dalm!

As you guys have been able to follow, me and Airi had a crazy tight race all the way until the end. We both played our best seasons ever, pushing each other constantly to make better and better results. Same time, we went through a lot together and even if it has been a very difficult situation, we have helped and supported each other when travelling all over the world without coaches or any other support. I am very grateful we have managed to show such sportsmanship for each other in such a difficult situation. Airi, thank you and respect!

Currently I am travelling home from France where I participated in the European Championships. Here I reached a quarterfinal, which is an amazing result for me. After winning three nerve-wrecking rounds, I faced current European and World Champion Carolina Marin, who really kicked my ass. Yet, I am extremely happy with how I handled these last few stressful weeks and ending my qualification race with a quarterfinal in the European Championships was way over my expectations.

Right now it feels too early to state whether I have qualified to the Olympics or not. My quarterfinal in France will push me further up the ranking list and I am pretty certain that I will be among the 34 players who will be on the first list of players qualifying to the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. The list will be out next Friday so I will not comment more about that until everything is 100% sure.

Now I am going to take some well-deserved time off to rest and recharge. I will keep you updated on how my summer will look like once all the dust settles in the next few weeks. Moreover, I have some other interesting projects that I will announce soon. Either way, I have an exciting future ahead of me. However, now I feel a little bit over-trained and mentally exhausted, so a proper break is exactly what I need.

//Nanna