Mikael is the Founder and Head Coach of Scientific Triathlon, which he started as a blog in 2015. He started out as a runner, and running was also his first focus once he got into coaching. But as his Mikael shifted his own athletic focus to triathlon, his coaching focus soon followed suit.

As an engineer, Mikael always had a great interest for science and understanding the mechanisms behind endurance performance. If we understand performance at a physiological and biomechanical level, training to improve performance becomes much easier.

However, Mikael strongly believes that the science of training or coaching is only one input to coaching decision-making. The other inputs include the athlete’s feedback and experience, as well as the coach’s anecdotal knowledge and experience.

Mikael enjoys the challenge of finding the balance of getting the biggest possible return-on-investment on training time. This requires carefully considering multiple inputs including the athlete’s feedback, objectively measured training response and performance, factors external to training like work and family, and using these inputs to always try to improve training planning. Never believing you have the best answer is the key to keep improving.

More than anything, Mikael emphasises the importance of coach-athlete communication. Without great communication, a coaching relationship can never be fully successful. Triathlon is about so much more than just numbers in a training log. It’s also about psychology, confidence, and even productivity and time management. And it is only through ongoing, open and honest conversations between the coach and the athlete that an athlete can reach their peak performance.

Mikael is at full capacity with age-group athletes, and is currently only taking on professionals or aspiring professionals as new athletes.

• Nationality: Finland
• Languages: Swedish (native), English (fluent), Finnish (fluent), Portuguese (basic, but improving), French (basic, and deteriorating)
• Education: Master’s degree (M.Sc., Hons) in engineering (medical physics and technology), Helsinki University of Technology / Aalto University
• Coaching Certification: Finntriathlon Level II, ITCA (International Triathlon Coaching Association)
• Coaching Experience: Started coaching in 2014. Full-time coach since 2017.
• Athletic Accomplishments:
  -1st place, Portuguese Olympic Distance National Championships 2020, 30-35 age-group (2nd overall age-grouper)
  -1st place 25-29 age-group IRONMAN 70.3 Cascais 2018
  -2nd place 25-29 age-group Challenge Lisbon 2019
  -IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship qualifier 2019 and 2020
  -8th place in Finnish Olympic Distance National Championships 2018.
  -1st overall age-grouper Powerman Portugal 2020 (10-60-10 duathlon)
  -1st place Finnish Swimrun National Championships 2017 (with team-mate Simon Brierley)