Olympic snowboarder Kalle Järvilehto was named Finland's student-athlete of the year ©FISU

Olympic snowboarder Kalle Järvilehto was named Finland's student-athlete of the year on the International Day of University Sport. 

International Day of University Sport was celebrated in Finland with a seminar on dual careers for student-athletes in Tampere.

Organised by the Finnish Olympic Committee, the Tampere Sports Academy, Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences, the seminar attracted around 70 on-site participants at the Varala Sports Institute, with 50 more attending online. 

At the end of the seminar, Kalle Järvilehto was announced as the Finnish student-athlete of the year for 2019-2020.

The 25-year-old studies at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences.

He competed at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics and has managed to finish in the top three of International Ski Federation Big Air World Cup events four times. 

Kalle Järvilehto competed in the snowboard contest at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games ©Getty Images
Kalle Järvilehto competed in the snowboard contest at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games ©Getty Images

During the seminar, Tampere University researcher Jyri Lindén spoke on the transition for athletes going into a career. 

Ice hockey coach Jukka Rautakorpi gave a coach’s viewpoint on dual careers, with heptathlete Maria Huntington also speaking about her experiences.

Awards were given to Aalto University planning officer Elli Hämäläinen and Tampere Vocational College Tredu sports coordinator Juha Hämäläinen for their work in enhancing athletes’ dual careers.

International Day of University Sport takes place on September 20 every year.