Hanna Maria Seppala

Hanna Maria Seppala

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Swimmer Hanna-Maria Seppala represented Finland at the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Here she recalls how it felt to make history at London 2012, as the first woman to carry the Finnish flag at an opening ceremony.
I was so young at my first Olympic Games - I was only 15 years old when I went to Sydney in 2000. I remember at the Opening Ceremony, when the Finnish team were waiting to walk into the stadium, there were just so many people around. And there were all these superstar athletes right beside me - athletes who were so famous and who I’d only seen on television before, they were standing right next to me! That was amazing. I remember seeing Ian Thorpe, the Australian Olympic gold medallist swimmer and that was so exciting. But because I was so young, I didn’t even know who everyone was so there were athletes who were huge stars but I didn’t even recognise them.
Everything at the Opening Ceremony was just huge. The good thing for me about the Games in Sydney was that neither the Finnish coaches nor myself had particularly high expectations of how I would do so I had no pressure on me which meant that I was able to just enjoy every single part of the Games. I think that helped me to perform well too - I set national records and so it was a great competition for me.
The entire Games were so fun for me and I think if you were to ask me which was my favourite Olympic Games of all five that I competed in, I would say Sydney just because it was my first one and everything was so exciting. Also, going to the Olympic Games at such a young age really motivated me to continue working hard and continue improving.
When I was growing up, my dream was to compete in the Olympic Games so when I fulfilled that dream at the age of 15, I thought I had better come up with another goal. So being the flag-bearer was another dream of mine and I fulfilled that in 2012. To be selected to carry the flag in London was so, so special.
I found out that I had been selected to be flag-bearer around two weeks before the Opening Ceremony. I was at training and the chef de mission of the Finnish Olympic Committee phoned my coach to ask if she would be ok with her swimmer being flag-bearer. I was standing next to her when she was taking the call and I was like - yes, say yes!!! I was so excited.
I was hoping that I would perhaps be nominated to be flag-bearer but there were other athletes who were also very deserving, so to actually be the person selected was so fantastic. I was so honoured to be asked.
The unfortunate thing about swimming is that it comes right at the start of the Games so often, the swimmers aren’t able to go to the opening ceremonies. But when I was nominated to be flag-bearer at the 2012 Olympics, of course I was going to go.
Carrying the flag was an absolutely amazing experience. Being flag-bearer is something that so few people ever have the chance to do - it’s such a privilege and it’s hard to describe exactly how it felt to be honest. And I was the first woman ever to carry the Finnish flag at the opening ceremony, so it was pretty cool to make a little bit of history.
As I was getting ready to walk into the stadium with the flag in London, I was very nervous because I wanted to do everything right. I remember someone saying to me not to wave the flag because that’s disrespectful. And then other people were telling me that I definitely should wave the flag because it’s a sign of happiness. So I was like: “What do I do?!!” I had no idea, so I remember just going with the flow and doing whatever felt right in the moment. It was also a very emotional moment for me to carry the flag. It’s such a huge thing and an absolutely massive honour so I think that’s why I felt so emotional.
The Rio Olympics in 2016 were my last Olympic Games. The summer leading up to the Rio Games was very emotional for me because I was deciding what I was going to do - whether I was going to continue swimming or to retire. I was really struggling to know what choice to make, but then when I made the decision to go to Rio and then retire at the end of 2016, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I was able to really relax.
It’s difficult to put into words exactly how I feel about my career, but I’m very, very proud of it. And what was also great about my career was that my mum was my coach and she was there at my five Olympic Games with me and so she went through the good times and the bad times with me which was fantastic.

Hanna-Maria Seppälä , född 13 december 1984 i Kervo , är en finländsk simmare .

Seppälä blev den första finländska kvinnliga simmaren som vunnit ett världsmästerskap på lång bana när hon vann guld på 100 meter frisim 2003 . Hon har också vunnit fyra guld i europamästerskapen i kortbanesimning. [ 1 ] Seppelä har hittills deltagit vid fem OS (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) men aldrig tagit någon medalj. [ 2 ]

Hanna-Maria Seppala is a 37-year-old Finnish Swimmer from Finland. She was born on Thursday, December 13, 1984. Is Hanna-Maria Seppala married or single, and who is she dating now? Let’s find out!
Hanna-Maria Seppälä is a freestyle swimmer from Finland, who won the world title in the 100 m freestyle at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain. She was swimming for the Finnish junior national team by age ten.
Fun Fact: On the day of Hanna-Maria Seppala’s birth, "Out of Touch" by Hall and Oates was the number 1 song on The Billboard Hot 100 and Ronald Reagan (Republican) was the U.S. President.
Hanna-Maria Seppala is single . She is not dating anyone currently. Hanna-Maria had at least 1 relationship in the past. Hanna-Maria Seppala has not been previously engaged. She has an older brother named Juuso. According to our records, she has no children.
Like many celebrities and famous people, Hanna-Maria keeps her personal and love life private. Check back often as we will continue to update this page with new relationship details. Let’s take a look at Hanna-Maria Seppala past relationships, ex-boyfriends and previous hookups.
Hanna-Maria Seppala’s birth sign is Sagittarius. Aggressively fun, this sign usually moves full speed ahead once they have their love target 'locked'. They enjoy a challenge and especially are attracted to confident outgoing partners. The most compatible signs with Sagittarius are generally considered to be Aries, Leo, Libra, and Aquarius. The least compatible signs with Sagittarius are generally considered to be Virgo and Pisces. Hanna-Maria Seppala also has a ruling planet of Jupiter.
She has not been previously engaged. We are currently in process of looking up more information on the previous dates and hookups.
Hanna-Maria Seppala was born on the 13th of December in 1984 (Millennials Generation). The first generation to reach adulthood in the new millennium, Millennials are the young technology gurus who thrive on new innovations, startups, and working out of coffee shops. They were the kids of the 1990s who were born roughly between 1980 and 2000. These 20-somethings to early 30-year-olds have redefined the workplace. Time magazine called them “The Me Me Me Generation” because they want it all. They are known as confident, entitled, and depressed. Hanna-Maria’s life path number is 11.
Hanna-Maria Seppala is famous for being a Swimmer . Finnish swimmer who has broken national records in many events, including the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke. In 2003, she won gold at the FINA World Aquatics Championships and was named Finnish Sports Personality of the Year. She and Dutch swimmer Inge De Bruijn are both World Champions in the women’s 100-meter freestyle. Hanna-Maria Seppälä attended Mäkelänrinteen Lukio, Finland (-2003) and Jyväskylän Yliopisto, Finland.
Hanna-Maria was born in the 1980s. The 1980s was the decade of big hair, big phones, pastel suits, Cabbage Patch Kids, Rubik’s cubes, Yuppies, Air Jordans, shoulder pads and Pac Man. During the Eighties, Berlin Wall crumbled, new computer technologies emerged and blockbuster movies and MTV reshaped pop culture.
According to Chinese Zodiac, Hanna-Maria was born in the Year of the Rat. People born in the Year of the Rat are clever and charming. They are curious, but sometimes too motivated by money.
Hanna-Maria Seppala has no children.
Hanna-Maria Seppala has not been previously engaged.
Fact Check : We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us . This page is updated often with new details about Hanna-Maria Seppala. Bookmark this page and come back for updates.

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Written by:
Gergely Csurka, FINA Media Committee Member

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One of the best Finnish swimmers, Hanna-Maria Seppala just said good bye to competitive swimming, here, in front of our eyes. After 19 years in international swimming, a fine career ended in Windsor.
It was the final touch, or better to say, the last one at the wall, in the morning heats, as the anchor of the Finnish medley relay.
The effort – 53.62 – is still a sound one, belongs to the better splits in the entire field, though the quartet was not fast enough to have another swim in the finals. So that was it: a final wave to the crowd as the presenter also announced the legend’s farewell... Then, the last walk back to the team preparation area, changing the dress, getting off that tight suit for the last time after a swim at an international event... And... Tears? Yes, of course.
“At the pool it was just the usual finish. Then, in the backstage I had a talk to my teammates. At the end we were crying... You know, we are girls after all...” she said in the iZone, now smiling.
Seppala’s journey was full of success.
“The best moment was my gold medal in Barcelona 2013, in the 100m free. Becoming a world champion was an amazing experience. Another one was my fourth place finish in Beijing, at the Olympics. I missed the podium by just a small margin, still, it was a great success for me. And my dream came true four years later when I could bear my country’s flag at the opening ceremony in London 2012.”
And we could add the loads of silverware Hanna-Maria collected at the short-course events, her specialty was the 100m medley, a typical 25m pool event where she earned silvers at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in 2006 and 2008 and had a four-year winning streak at the s/c Europeans between 2005 and 2008.
Now comes the hardest part, the transition period. Swimmers are told to be living in a kind of bubble, where everything is planned beforehand, practices at home, then in training camps, strict frames, starting then, finishing then, meet at this time, travelling to competitions, warm-up, heats, warm-down, lunch, rest, bus to the pool, and so on... Now, all of a sudden, you are no longer part of that, the regime is up to you.
“ Actually, I don’t have any worries, though it’s going to be definitely strange to be outside of these frames ” Hanna-Maria says.
“I finished my studies in physiotherapy and sport management so I have things to do, in fact my calendar is full until next May.”
Well, a good physiotherapist or a manager could be any time welcome beside the Finnish national team...
“This is in my plans, though I would think of something different, not just plain physiotherapy or other kind of trainings, even though I have the qualification to do those as well. I’d like to help our swimmers in other ways, too, and hope that sometimes I can return to all these meets with the Finnish team.”
Well, Hanna-Maria, can’t wait for the moment we see you again at a FINA event!
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