April 24, 2024

Quant employee Mika Laikko representing Finland in the national team

In June, Quant Maintenance Technician Mika Laikko, who is also a disc golf player, is going to the Masters World Championships in Emporia, USA. In November, the Finnish national team will go to the World Team Disc Golf Championships in Australia.

– A disc golf course was built near our home, and at first, this new hobby was just a nice way to spend time with friends. But over the years, the sport completely took hold of me when, encouraged by my friends, I entered the first real competitions, Mika explains.

“The work community is really supportive”

The hobby became more result-oriented and so far, Mika has participated in several competitions in Finland and in other countries, such as USA, Estonia, Sweden, Åland, Spain and Hungary.

– Travelling abroad for competitions takes time, of course, but the positive side of shift work is the time off, which enables participation in competitions. In addition, good colleagues enable shift changes if necessary. Our work community is really supportive, and they also follow my competitions. It has also been nice to guide colleagues in the secrets of disc golf, Mika says.

However, he emphasises that the most important support is his family, although sponsors are of course also important. Last year, Mika was chosen as one of Quant Finland’s sponsorship targets, and many partners, as well as his hometown, have been involved in supporting Mika’s journey as an athlete.

The best parts of disc golf

– The best features of the sport are its sociability, community, and relaxation, togetherness where you also enjoy the successes of others. In addition, with the competitions, there is an opportunity to see several different destinations, even though during the trips to competitions, time is mostly spent on the playing fields practicing or competing.

Mika says that last season went well, and his PDGA rating improved a lot. At the age of 40, he was the first Finnish player ever to rise above a thousand points.

– This year’s goal is to stay at my own level and I would be happy to improve it, continuous growth and development is needed. In part, the competition calendar is still open for this year, but there are known national team representatives at least in June at the Masters World Championships in the United States, and in November at the World Team Disc Golf Championships in Australia.

We wish Mika all the best for the upcoming World Championships!