Mika Aarnikka is a sailboat racer who has competed for Finland. He competed at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games.
At his first appearance in the 470 class with Petri Leskinen, they had a great start, finishing second in the first race. However, after two races in which they finished twelfth and fourteenth, they dropped back to sixth place in the total standings. After another two races in the top 10, they once again had chances for a medal, but after finishing fourteenth once again in the sixth race, their third place was in jeopardy with a single race to go. In this last race, one of their pursuers Tonu Toniste and Toomas Toniste finished second, which meant that the Finnish boat would have to finish in the top 5 to win the silver medal, and at least 4 places in front of the Norwegian team, or the American boat had to have a complete meltdown. Aarnikka and Leskinen ultimately finished sixth in the last race, ending a single point behind the podium.
Four years later, they returned to the Olympic stage, with now 11 instead of 7 races. However, with a premature start in the first race, they were immediately set back. They recovered a bit with a fourteenth and nineteenth place in the next two races, but it was still not at the level of four years prior. However, with the next five races in the top 10, and even winning the eighth race, they were back in the top of the competition. Right before the last race, they were in seventh place, but the gap with bronze was manageable in the last race. They finished third in that last race, and managed to climb to fourth place once again, now three points behind the bronze medal.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Men's 470 | 4th |
| 1996 | Men's 470 | 4th |
1992[]
| Discipline | Race | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 470 | Race 1 | 3.0 |
| Race 2 | 18.0 | |
| Race 3 | ||
| Race 4 | 3.0 | |
| Race 5 | 14.0 | |
| Race 6 | 20.0 | |
| Race 7 | 11.7 | |
| Total | 69.7 |
1996[]
| Discipline | Race | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 470 | Race 1 | |
| Race 2 | 14.0 | |
| Race 3 | ||
| Race 4 | 4.0 | |
| Race 5 | 7.0 | |
| Race 6 | 6.0 | |
| Race 7 | 8.0 | |
| Race 8 | 1.0 | |
| Race 9 | 16.0 | |
| Race 10 | 6.0 | |
| Race 11 | 3.0 | |
| Total | 65.0 |