Sini Pyy

Reading, cooking, playing the piano, travel, fashion, hand cycling. (lapinkansa.fi, 19 Oct 2016; sinipyy.com, 13 Oct 2016; Instagram profile, 31 Dec 2020)

Skiing for the first time after her accident, and achieving her first World Cup podium finish [third in sprint classic] at the 2016 event in Vuokatti, Finland. (Athlete, 10 Mar 2018)

Her father, and her coaches. (Athlete, 10 Mar 2018)

Finnish Para cross-country skier Tanja Kari. (Athlete, 10 Mar 2018)

"I don't think I can stop skiing until I have raced my perfect race. Perfect turns, fast skis, well timed rhythm changes and the feeling I gave my absolute all to the track. That is what I am looking for every time I put a bib on." (paralympic.org, 27 Dec 2016)

In 2020 she was named Athlete of the Year at the Lapland Sports Gala in Finland. (paralympia.fi, 03 Feb 2020)

In 2018 she was named Young Success of the Year by the Finnish Youth Chamber of Commerce. (lapinkansa.fi, 13 Oct 2018)

She was the female recipient of the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. The honour, which is presented by the International Paralympic Committee [IPC], is given to athletes that best exemplify the spirit of the Games and Paralympic values. (paralympic.org, 16 Mar 2018)

She competed in both cross-country skiing and biathlon at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. She also represented Finland in Para cycling road at the 2018 World Championships in Maniago, Italy. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Jan 2019)

To win gold at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Facebook page, 08 Jun 2020)

In March 2010 she was involved in a car accident on her way back to Rovaniemi, Finland, after attending her grandmother's funeral. She sustained a spinal cord injury that resulted in paralysis of her lower body. (Athlete, 10 Mar 2018; sinipyy.com, 23 Jun 2016)

SKIING POSITION
In 2018 she changed her skiing position in an attempt to improve her times ahead of the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. As part of the switch, which involved her skiing in more of a kneeling position, she said she had to accept that her results during the 2018/19 season might not be at the level she wanted as she got used to the new posture on her skis. "It's a big change physiologically, and I still don't have a lot of muscles in the middle of my body because of the injury. But I have such a big ego that it's not easy to be slow." (hs.fi, 17 Dec 2018; yle.fi, 11 Dec 2018)

GLOBAL ISSUES
She has studied political science at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland, and has developed an interest in climate change through both her degree and her sporting career. "Sport is entertainment, but Para sport has a human rights perspective. There's a lot of good in it, but you also have to think about environmental issues and whether it is worth organising the races where you have to make new snow. I have really had to think about how I can justify travelling to a lot of events." (hs.fi, 17 Dec 2018)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She is a member of the International Paralympic Committee's [IPC] Women In Sport Committee. (paralympic.org, 01 Jan 2021)