Professional Latvian athlete combines biathlon and International Business studies
21-year-old Elza Bleidele studies International Business and is also a top athlete. She is from Latvia and is a professional biathlete with big dreams.
From the end of October until April Elza is constantly in training camps or competitions.
-I usually have 2 training sessions per day and one rest day a week, but in reality, I have to make sure that every minute I do my best to become better at this sport, she says.
Last season Elza achieved 6th place in European championships. But the most important achievement for her were the Junior world championships, where she got bronze medal and also gold with her team in the relay.
-The season was extraordinary and I hope the next one will be even better, she says.
She also studies International Business at HAMK. Her studies are fully online so she can study from anywhere, which helps with a demanding career.
-I think I am doing pretty well combining studies with my sport. Of course, there are sacrifices, for example, I cannot be in every lecture, therefore, I have to catch up with the information myself or ask my groupmates about it, she says.
She is really grateful for the groupmates she works with. They have been in the same group since beginning and she says it is very easy for them to conduct tasks and also help each other out when needed.
The amount of groupwork was the biggest change for Elza compared to studies in Latvia.
-At first, I was a bit worried about how it will go but now I love it. I like to work with my teammates because we make each other’s ideas better, she says.
While she admits that she does most tasks at the last minute, there really haven’t been any situations where she’s missed the deadline or had any big problems. She says that the teachers are very understanding and would support her if needed.
She chose International Business at HAMK because in high school se already knew that she wanted to study abroad and see how studies are conducted in other countries. She found out Finland has very good options.
-I wanted to do something related to business and these online studies at HAMK were exactly what I was looking for.
Elza says these studies are really great for someone interested in this direction.
-Some things will be harder, some easier but there will be people around you who go through the same and you will never feel alone which really helps to get everything done and a lot of times even better than anticipated at first, she says.
