Back home in Finland, Heino trains in his club 'Espoon Sulkapallo-Badminton' (ESB) and with the Finnish national team. He knew from the age of six that badminton was something he wanted to pursue:

“For every year that flew by I started working harder and dreaming bigger.”, Heino explains, and now the dream is as big as to reach the top 20 in the world. 

“I know it requires a lot but as long as I stay motivated and hungry for more, nothing is impossible.”

It was Heino’s appetite for more that lead him the Centre of Excellence and he is extremely excited to move to Holbaek and join the COE squad. Mainly, he is looking forward to working with high-level players and coaches and he sees it as a great opportunity to take his badminton further. 

“I wanted to put all my energy and focus into badminton and I couldn't think of a better chance than joining the COE.”, Heino says and explains further:

“Centre of Excellence will make everything easier. Everything will be close and I don't have to worry about anything else than developing and getting closer to my goals and dreams. I'm also really looking forward to the trainings, where I will be working with the same coaches all the time. COE's concept will help me do what I love full time. I feel really thankful for this opportunity.”

We wish Iikka Heino and the twelve other COE players the best of luck in Holbaek, where the coaching squad is ready to welcome them from 1 September 2017.

Go to Badminton Europe’s website to learn more about the COE-project and read all the previous announcements by clicking here.

E. Lollike, Badminton Europe