Finnish Athlete Erkka Lehtonen Breaks Wakeboarding Record

Finland isn’t particularly well known for water sports, usually preferring unconventional activities or anything involving ice and snow. Yet Finnish athlete Erkka Lehtonen recently broke these expectations in by setting a new world record for wakeboarding by a staggering 10 hours and 15 minutes, beating the previous record of 10 hours and 5 seconds.

The record attempt

On 4 May 2018, only days after the Baltic Sea ice had melted, 27-year-old professional water sports athlete Erkka Lehtonen began his record attempt at 6 am at the Laguuni water sports complex in Espoo, Finland. The water temperature of only eight degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit) made it even more of a challenge. But this didn’t deter Lehtonen, who was voted the best wakeboarder in Finland in 2017 and is the vice-chairman of the Finnish Waterski Sports Association.

Disaster struck four hours into the attempt when Lehtonen fell off his board. Yet he still got straight back on again and the clock was reset for a second attempt. He beat the record just before the late Nordic sunset at 10 pm with the crowd cheering him on. Even after staying in the near-freezing waters and gripping onto the wakeboarding cable for 14 hours, he still had enough energy to celebrate with a backflip and a selfie.

Afterward, Lehtonen said: “Finnish grit (sisu) takes you far. Falling down was a major setback, but when I start something, I want to finish it”. He also partially attributed his success to the supportive onlookers, saying: “There is definitely power in the audience. They helped me to maintain the positive mindset and keep holding on!”

Erkka Lehtonen remains positive during his wakeboarding record attempt.

An eco-friendly record

What was even more spectacular about this record attempt is that the entire thing was solar-powered, an energy source which still isn’t common in Scandinavia. The Laguuni water sports complex (which was co-founded by Lehtonen) is powered by solar panels from Fortum, the largest clean energy company in the Nordic countries and an avid supporter of Laguuni and Lehtonen. Laguuni’s cable wakeboarding track used for the event is powered by these solar panels, which produced around 23 kWh of power on the day of the record attempt. Additional power was provided by a solar-powered battery.

Solar panels powering Laguuni’s wakeboarding track.

In addition to promoting clean energy, Lehtonen has demonstrated Nordic determination and ‘sisu’ and proved that Finnish athletes can defeat any odds.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.