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Juulia Turkkila

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Juulia Turkkila
Turkkila/Versluis performing their free dance at the 2024 World Championships
Born (1994-11-03) 3 November 1994 (age 29)
Helsinki, Finland
Height1.64 m (5 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Figure skating career
Country Finland
PartnerMatthias Versluis
CoachMaurizio Margaglio
Skating clubHelsingin Luistelijat
Began skating2001
Medal record
Figure skating: Ice dancing
Representing  Finland
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Espoo Ice dancing

Juulia Turkkila (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈjuːliɑ ˈturkkːilɑ]; born 3 November 1994) is a Finnish figure skater. Competing in ice dancing with Matthias Versluis, she is the 2023 European bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix of Espoo bronze medalist, 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy gold medalist, and a four-time Finnish national champion (2019, 2022-24).

As a single skater, she is the 2012 Nordic champion and 2014 Finnish national champion. She competed in the final segment at eight ISU Championships, achieving her best result, 12th, at the 2014 Europeans.[1]

Personal life

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Juulia Turkkila was born on 3 November 1994 in Helsinki, Finland.[2] At age six, she began training in ballet at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet.[3][4] After graduating from secondary school, she decided to study economics at Aalto University.[3]

Career

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Early years

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Turkkila began learning to skate in 2001.[2] She made her junior international debut at the Nordic Championships in February 2010.[5]

2010–2011 season

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Turkkila placed sixteenth at the 2011 World Junior Championships, fifteenth at the 2011 European Championships, and twentieth at the 2011 World Championships. She won the bronze medal at the 2011 Nordics.

2011–2012 season

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Turkkila at the 2012 World Championships

Turkkila won the silver medal at the 2012 Finnish Championships, behind Kiira Korpi. She placed seventeenth at the 2012 European Championships, nineteenth at the 2012 World Junior Championships, and eighteenth at the 2012 World Championships. She won the gold medal at the 2012 Nordics.

2012–2013 season

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Turkkila placed sixth at the 2012 Finlandia Trophy and ninth at the 2012 Nebelhorn Trophy. She won the silver medal at the 2013 Finnish Championships, again finishing second to Kiira Korpi. She was seventeenth at the 2013 European Championships but was eliminated from the 2013 World Championships after placing thirty-first in the short program.

2013–2014 season

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Turkkila placed seventh at the 2013 Finlandia Trophy and fourteenth at the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy. She won the gold medal at the 2014 Finnish Championships. She was twelfth at the 2014 European Championships, her best result at the Europeans this far. She did not reach the final at the 2014 World Championships, placing twenty-ninth in the short program.

2014–2015 season

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Turkkila participated at the 2014 Finlandia Trophy, where she placed 7th, and at the 2014 Nebelhorn Trophy, where she placed sixth. On 22 October 2014, it was reported that she had a season-ending injury.[6]

2015–2016 season

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Turkkila returned to competition in 2015, placing 5th at the Lombardia Trophy. She was tenth at the 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy and fourteenth at the 2015 Finlandia Trophy. In December 2015, Turkkila won the bronze medal at the Finnish Championships. On 20 January 2016, the Finnish Figure Skating Association reported that her season was over due to a groin strain.[7] Tarja Sipilä coached Turkkila at Helsingin Luistelijat figure skating club in Helsinki.[8]

On 1 April 2016, the Finnish Figure Skating Association reported that Turkkila had teamed up with Matthias Versluis to compete in ice dancing.[9]

2016–2017 season: Debut of Turkkila/Versluis

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Making their international debut, Turkkila/Versluis placed sixth at the NRW Trophy in November 2016. Later that month, they finished 13th at their first ISU Challenger Series assignment, the 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy. In December, they took the silver medal behind Törn/Partanen at the 2017 Finnish Championships. In February, they represented Finland at the 2017 Winter Universiade, finishing eighth.[10]

2017–2018 season

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Turkkila/Versluis competed at a pair of Challenger Series competitions – placing tenth at the 2017 CS Lombardia Trophy, and fifteenth at the 2017 CS Finlandia Trophy – and then finished thirteenth at the International Cup of Nice. In November, they won bronze at the Ice Challenge in Austria. In December, they repeated as national silver medalists, again finishing second to Törn/Partanen.[10]

2018–2019 season: First national title and Worlds debut

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Turkkila at the 2019 European Championships

Turkkila/Versluis began their season with three Challenger Series events – they finished sixth at the 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy, seventh at the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy, and sixth at the 2018 CS Finlandia Trophy. In October, the duo won silver at the Minsk-Arena Ice Star. In November, they debuted on the Grand Prix series, placing sixth at the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki, and then took bronze at the Warsaw Cup. The following month, they became the Finnish national champions and were selected to compete at the 2019 European Championships in Minsk, Belarus, where they placed eleventh. They then competed at their first World Championships, placing sixteenth.[10]

2019–2020 season

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Turkkila sustained a neck injury in a practice session at the 2019 CS Lombardia Trophy, compelling the team to withdraw from the competition. They subsequently also withdrew from the 2019 CS Finlandia Trophy and the 2019 Rostelecom Cup, their Grand Prix assignment for the year.[11] They were assigned to compete at the World Championships in Montreal, but these were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.[12]

2020–2021 season

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Returning to competition for the first time in two years, Turkkila/Versluis represented Finland at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, placing twenty-first after a fluke error on the rotational lift.[13]

2021–2022 season: Beijing Olympics

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Turkkila/Versluis began the Olympic season at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy, where they placed sixth.[14] They were assigned to the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, seeing to qualify a place for Finland at the 2022 Winter Olympics. They placed first in both programs, setting three new personal bests to take both their first Challenger gold and the first of four available dance spots.[15] At their third Challenger event of the season, the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, Turkkila/Versluis came sixth, notably managing fourth place in the free dance.[10] They competed at the 2021 Cup of Nice, also known as Trophée Métropole Nice, where they won gold, before going on to make their Grand Prix appearance at the 2021 Internationaux de France, where they finished in seventh.[16]

After winning their second Finnish national title, Turkkila/Versluis were named to the Finnish Olympic team. Turkkila had a mild case of COVID-19 in late December and recovered, but because she continued to test positive, the team was unable to participate in the 2022 European Championships.

Making their appearance at the Beijing Olympics dance event, Turkkila/Versluis were the first Finnish ice dancers to appear in the Winter Olympics since Rahkamo/Kokko in 1994. They placed sixteenth in the rhythm dance, qualifying for the free dance.[17] They moved up one place in the free dance, finishing fifteenth.[18]

Turkkila/Versluis concluded the season at the 2022 World Championships, held in Montpellier. They finished twelfth.[10]

2022–2023 season: Grand Prix and European medals

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Turkkila/Versluis won the bronze medal at the 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy before taking the gold medal at the 2022 Cup of Nice.[10] They were considered medal contenders going into the Grand Prix, but placed eighth in the rhythm dance after Turkkila fell during the twizzle sequence. They were fifth in the free dance, rising to seventh overall.[19] Their second event was the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo, held on home ice in Finland instead of the Rostelecom Cup as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. They finished fourth in the rhythm dance with a new personal best score of 75.06, 1.16 points behind third-place Americans Carreira/Ponomarenko.[20] In the free dance, they rose to third overall with another new personal best (116.73), taking the bronze medal with a total score of 191.79. They were the lone Finnish medalists at the Finnish Grand Prix event and the first Finnish dance team to ever medal in the Grand Prix. Turkkila said that the result "gives us a lot of confidence. We know what we are capable of, and we want to achieve more. This is just the beginning."[21][22]

After winning their third Finnish national title, Turkkila/Versluis were their country's primary medal hope at a home European Championships, hosted, like the Grand Prix, in Espoo. This was their first appearance at the European Championships since 2019. They finished third in the rhythm dance with a new personal best score of 77.56, 0.23 points ahead of fourth-place Lithuanian team Reed/Ambrulevičius.[23][24] In the free dance, Turkkila/Versluis set new personal bests in that segment and overall, and won the bronze medal. This was the first European medal for a Finnish dance team since Rahkamo/Kokko's gold in 1995. Versluis called it "absolutely amazing," especially in light of their previous absences.[25][26]

Turkkila/Versluis concluded the season at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, where they finished ninth, the first time since 1995 that a Finnish team placed in the top ten. Turkkila commented that "in August, you couldn't have imagined that there would be a season like this. All expectations have been exceeded."[27]

2023–2024 season

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Turkkila and Versluis performing their rhythm dance at the 2024 World Championships

Beginning the season at the 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Turkkila/Versluis won the bronze medal.[10] Competing next on home ice at the 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy, they won the rhythm dance.[28] Second in the free dance, they remain in first place overall, becoming the first Finnish dance team to win the gold medal at the Finlandia Trophy. The duo noted that the Espoo Metro Areena had been the site of many milestones in their careers, including national singles championships, making it a place of "many meanings."[29] With Finland again hosting on the Grand Prix in the same venue, they won another bronze medal at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo.[30] Turkkila/Versluis went on to finish fourth at the 2023 NHK Trophy, which they said they considered a strong result given that they were competing on consecutive weekends. Turkkila said they were "overall very happy" with the first half of the season.[31]

After claiming their fourth national gold medal, Turkkila/Versluis sought to defend their podium place at the 2024 European Championships. They came sixth in both segments, placing sixth overall. They received a deduction of an extra element in the free dance, which they said they would research for future performances to understand the error.[32] They then finished the season at the 2024 World Championships, coming tenth. Turkkila praised the crowd at the Montreal event as "amazing," while admitting that "result wise, we could have done even a bit better this season, especially at Europeans. But the field is big and competitive."[33]

2024–2025 season

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Turkkila/Versluis began the season by competing on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, winning bronze at the 2024 CS Budapest Trophy and finishing fourth at the 2024 CS Nepela Memorial.[10]

Programs

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Turkkila and Versluis at the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki

Ice dancing with Versluis

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Season Rhythm dance Free dance Exhibition
2024–2025
[34]
2023–2024
[35]
  • Hullaannun
    by Younghearted
2022–2023
[36]
  • Samba: Rebelado
    by Watazu
  • Rhumba: Wicked Game
    by Ursine Vulpine, Annaca
  • Samba: Jao Geralderry
    by Watazu
  • Samba: Banto
    by Kaoma, Loalwa Braz, Michel Abihssira
    choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo, Massimo Scali
  • 4 Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899:
    No. 3 in G-Flat Major: Andante
  • Piano Sonata No. 20 In A Major, D.959:
    IV. Rondo (Allegretto)
  • 4 Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899:
    No. 3 in G-Flat Major: Andante
    by Franz Schubert
    choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo, Massimo Scali
  • Hullaannun
    by Younghearted
2021–2022
[37]
2019–2021
[38][39]
2018–2019
[2][3]
Short dance
2017–2018
[40]
  • Beautiful Maria Of My Soul
    by Arne Glimcher, Robert Kraft
  • Afro Bongo
    by Watazu
  • De Donde Soy
    performed by Thalía
2016–2017

Single skating

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Turkkila at the 2012 World Championships
Season Short program Free skating
2015–2016
[8]
2014–2015
[41]
2013–2014
[42]
2012–2013
[43][44]
2011–2012
[45]
2010–2011
[46]
2009–2010

Results

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GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Ice dance with Versluis

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International[10]
Event 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22 22–23 23–24 24–25
Olympics 15th
Worlds 16th C 21st 12th 9th 10th
Europeans 11th WD 3rd 6th
GP Finland 6th 3rd 3rd
GP France 7th 7th
GP NHK Trophy 4th
CS Budapest Trophy 3rd
CS Finlandia Trophy 15th 6th WD 6th 3rd 1st
CS Lombardia Trophy 10th 6th WD 6th
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 1st 3rd
CS Nepela Memorial 7th 4th
CS Tallinn Trophy 13th
Universiade 8th 4th
Bavarian Open 11th 6th 3rd
Cup of Nice 13th 1st 1st
Egna Trophy 5th 1st
Ice Challenge 3rd
Ice Star 2nd
NRW Trophy 6th
Swiss Open 1st
Open d'Andorra 5th
Warsaw Cup 3rd
National
Finnish Champ. 2nd 2nd 1st C 1st 1st 1st

Single skating

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International[1]
Event 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16
Worlds 20th 18th 31st 29th
Europeans 15th 17th 17th 12th
CS Finlandia 7th 14th
CS Nebelhorn 6th 10th
CS Warsaw Cup 6th
Challenge Cup 6th
Cup of Nice 8th 21st
Finlandia Trophy 6th 6th 7th
Lombardia Trophy 5th
Nebelhorn Trophy 9th 14th
Nordics 3rd 1st 5th
Skate Helena 1st
Volvo Open Cup 3rd
International: Junior[1]
Junior Worlds 16th 19th
JGP Estonia 13th
JGP Germany 10th
JGP Poland 13th
Ice Challenge 5th J 3rd J
Nordics 5th J
Warsaw Cup
National[1]
Finnish Champ. 4th J 1st J 2nd 2nd 1st 3rd

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Competition Results: Juulia TURKKILA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Juulia TURKKILA / Matthias VERSLUIS: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Q & A: Juulia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis". ice-dance.com. 20 December 2018. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  4. ^ Smolander, Riikka (30 October 2022). "Särkyneestä ehjäksi". Yle (in Finnish).
  5. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA". rinkresults.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  6. ^ "Suomen taitoluistelijoille taas takaisku: Nyt loukkaantui Juulia Turkkila" [Finnish figure skater]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  7. ^ Pusa, Ari (20 January 2016). "Taitoluistelija Juulia Turkkila loukkaantui jälleen – jo toinen kausi peräkkäin piloille" [Figure skater Juulia Turkkila]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Juulia TURKKILA: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Juulia Turkkila ja Matthias Versluis jäätanssipariksi" [Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis team up for ice dancing] (in Finnish). Finnish Figure Skating Association. 1 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Competition Results: Juulia TURKKILA / Matthias VERSLUIS". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019.
  11. ^ Skating Finland [@SkatingFinland] (1 October 2019). "Juulia Turkkila-Matthias Versluis announced today: "Unfortunately, we have to postpone the start of our competitive season due to Juulia's neck injury. We hope to be back soon and stronger than ever." Get well soon but be patience with the recovery! 💛" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Ewing, Lori (March 11, 2020). "World figure skating championships cancelled in Montreal". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  13. ^ "ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2021 Results – Ice Dance". International Skating Union.
  14. ^ "Lombardia Trophy 2021". Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio.
  15. ^ Flade, Tatjana (September 25, 2021). "Finland's Turkkila and Versluis dance off with Nebelhorn gold". Golden Skate.
  16. ^ Slater, Paula (November 20, 2021). "Papadakis and Cizeron take 12th Grand Prix gold in France". Golden Skate.
  17. ^ "Suomalaiset palasivat jäätanssin olympiajäälle upealla tavalla – Turkkila ja Versluis saivat tiedon jatkopaikasta yllättävällä hetkellä" [The Finns returned to the ice age of ice dancing in a wonderful way - Turkkila and Versluis received information about the continuation at a surprising moment]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 12 February 2022.
  18. ^ Penny, Brandon (13 February 2022). "How the free dance transpired and determined Olympic ice dance medalists". NBC Sports.
  19. ^ "Turkkila ja Versluis nousivat vapaatanssissa seitsemänneksi" [Turkkila and Versluis came seventh in the free dance]. Savon Sanomat (in Finnish). 5 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Confident and cool Gilles/Poirier (CAN) set personal best to win Espoo Rhythm Dance". International Skating Union. November 25, 2022.
  21. ^ "Ice Dancers Gilles/Poirier (CAN) cruise to gold while Turkkila/Versluis take first Grand Prix medal for Finland". International Skating Union. November 26, 2022.
  22. ^ Slater, Paula (November 26, 2022). "Gilles and Poirier epic in Espoo". Golden Skate.
  23. ^ Slater, Paula (January 27, 2023). "Guignard and Fabbri take slight lead at Europeans". Golden Skate.
  24. ^ "Guignard/Fabbri (ITA) find the right rhythm for the prime spot in the Ice Dance in Espoo". International Skating Union. January 27, 2023.
  25. ^ Slater, Paula (January 28, 2023). "Guignard and Fabbri grab elusive gold in Espoo". Golden Skate.
  26. ^ "Guignard/Fabbri end nine-year gold medal drought for Italian Ice Dance in Espoo". International Skating Union. January 28, 2023.
  27. ^ Pusa, Ari (March 25, 2023). "EM-mitalistit Juulia Turkkila ja Matthias Versluis onnistuivat MM-jäällä – paras suomalaissijoitus 28 vuoteen" [EC medalists Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis succeeded on the ice of the WC – the best Finnish finish in 28 years] (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. Suomen Tietotoimisto. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  28. ^ Ikonen, Petteri (October 7, 2023). "Juulia Turkkila ja Matthias Versluis onnistuivat hienosti" [Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis did a great job] (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. Suomen Tietotoimisto. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  29. ^ Ikonen, Petteri (October 8, 2023). "Julia Turkkila ja Matthias Versluis saavuttivat yhteisen voiton – "Tällä paikalla on monta merkitystä"" [Julia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis achieved a joint victory - "This place has many meanings"] (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. Suomen Tietotoimisto. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  30. ^ Slater, Paula (November 18, 2023). "Chock and Bates take second consecutive Grand Prix gold". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  31. ^ Slater, Paula (November 25, 2023). "Fear and Gibson edge out Italians for NHK Trophy gold". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  32. ^ Slater, Paula (January 13, 2024). "Guignard and Fabbri win second consecutive European title". Golden Skate. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  33. ^ Slater, Paula (March 24, 2024). "Chock and Bates repeat as World Champions". Golden Skate. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  34. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA / Matthias VERSLUIS: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024.
  35. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA / Matthias VERSLUIS: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023.
  36. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA / Matthias VERSLUIS: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 29 October 2022.
  37. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA / Matthias VERSLUIS: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022.
  38. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA / Matthias VERSLUIS: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020.
  39. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA / Matthias VERSLUIS: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021.
  40. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA / Matthias VERSLUIS: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018.
  41. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015.
  42. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 4 June 2014.
  43. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 16 July 2013.
  44. ^ Halonen, Lena (4 January 2013). "Juulia Turkkila: "I think I am ready"". Absolute Skating. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  45. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 January 2012.
  46. ^ "Juulia TURKKILA: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011.
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Media related to Juulia Turkkila at Wikimedia Commons

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