Finnish sprint hurdler Elmo Lakka has made a significant change in his athletic career by taking on self-coaching after ending his collaboration with coach Otto Kilpi. The pair had been working together since 2021, but Lakka decided to part ways due to disagreements about future training arrangements. At 32 years old and with extensive experience in hurdles, Lakka feels confident in his ability to succeed without a formal coach.

Despite the change, Lakka remains optimistic about his performance, citing his 25 years of experience in hurdling as a foundation for his self-training. He has shown promising results recently, setting personal bests in both the indoor 60 meters and the 60-meter hurdles. This year, he narrowly missed out on his best time by just two hundredths of a second, illustrating that he is still competitive at a high level.

Lakka is set to represent Finland in the upcoming indoor World Championships in Torun, Poland, indicating that he is ready to test his self-coaching strategy on an international stage. As a ten-time Finnish champion, his decision to coach himself not only demonstrates confidence in his skills but also adds an intriguing dimension to his ongoing athletic journey as he prepares for a prestigious competition.