Janne Lehtonen (born 1983), sometimes referred to by his nickname 'Janezkyy', is a Finnish entrepreneur, firefighter, and former Special Operation Forces soldier for the Finnish Navy,[1] who is known for appearing in finnish reality television show Erikoisjoukot as the Head Instructor, and competing in adventure show Amazing Race Suomi.[2][3] He is known to be one of the very first people to be recruited to the official Finnish Special Forces of the Navy.[4]
Janne Lehtonen | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Janezkyy [a] |
| Born | 1983 Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland |
| Allegiance |  Finland |
| Service |  Finnish Navy |
| Years of service | 13 |
| Rank |  Sergeant |
| Unit | 5th Mine Warfare Squadron |
| Battles / wars | War in Afghanistan Somali piracy |
| Other work |
|
Career
editMilitary service
editLehtonen, interested at visual arts when younger, served on the Finnish Navy's Special Operation Forces (SOF) unit for 13 years. In the early 2000's, he was one of the very first people that got in to the Finland's Special Forces of the Navy, upon the unit's discovery in the Gulf of Finland Naval Command, present day Coastal Brigade in Upinniemi.[5] There he worked on the Finnish minelayer Pohjanmaa of the 5th Mine Warfare Squadron.[4] Originally trained as a combat diver, Lehtonen served for the Defence Forces in multiple tours of duty, including in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia twice, and fought against terrorism and piracy. He also served as a sniper and combat medic for several years.[6][5][4] During one of the operations, his group did catch 18 pirates. He was also rescuing Kenyan hostages stuck in their vessels.[7]
In 2015, he moved to the private sector to work for a finnish private security company, which brought him back to Afghanistan for person security missions.[5][7] Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine broke in 2022, Lehtonen has actively been standing for the Ukrainians, and offered them his military experience and trained them.[8]
Television
editIn 2022, he started as the head instructor in finnish reality television show Erikoisjoukot, alongside other instructors, ex-soldiers Jan Knutti, Matias Petäistö and Robin Hendry.[2][9][10] In 2023, Lehtonen competed in the first season of the Finnish version of The Amazing Race with his ex-Special Forces colleague Robin Hendry.[3] Amongst the twelve competing teams, the pair placed third in the competition.[11] He has also appeared in a finnish talk-show Puoli seitsemän.[4]
During his appearance in Amazing Race Suomi with (Robin) Hendry, Lehtonen has told that he had become "more approachable" amongst the television viewers, who saw him first on Erikoisjoukot as a "tough instructor", and that showing his real human side has had "positive impact on his brand and work career".[12]
Publications
editLehtonen is also an author; his first own book is being published in the early 2025 in corporation with publisher WSOY.[13] In his book, Lehtonen writes about his childhood, how he became a Special Forces operator and what some of the operations held in.[13]
Other
editSince leaving the Special Operations, Lehtonen has worked at the Helsinki Rescue Service and Fire Station, before shifting to the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, as a firefighter and paramedic[1] with former Special Forces colleague Robin Hendry.[14][15] He has run his own tattoo studio and co-owns a CrossFit gym, CrossFit Woima, at his hometown Kerava.[7][16][17] He has also regularly held public speeches about important topics; such as physical and mental health, motivation and leadership.[12]
Personal life
editLehtonen was born and raised in the capital region. In civil life, he is married to Mia-Riitta Lehtonen, his partner since teenage years.[18][19] They have two children.[7][20]
He has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and has told that the traumatic "close call" experiences he had experienced on the Special Forces have still left marks in his head. He has however got help and spoken about it to be able to "control" the feelings better.[21]
Filmography
edit| Year | Series | Role | Channel | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–present | Erikoisjoukot | Head Instructor | Nelonen | 2 series | [2] |
| 2023 | Amazing Race Suomi | Himself; contestant | Nelonen | 1 series | [3] |
| 2024 | Puoli seitsemän | Himself | Yle TV1 | One episode | [4][22] |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Jompero-Lahokoski, Sanna (15 May 2022). ""Sieltä ei lähdetä lomille" – Palomies Janne, 39, on entinen taistelusukeltaja joka otti merirosvoja kiinni Somaliassa". Helsingin Uutiset (in Finnish).
- ^ a b c Hakulinen, Juulia (26 April 2022). "Nämä julkkikset kisaavat ennennäkemättömän rajussa tv-ohjelmassa". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish).
- ^ a b c Laitinen, Ebba (24 July 2023). "Tässä ovat Amazing Race Suomen kilpailijat!". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish).
- ^ a b c d e Salo, Hanna (9 February 2024). "Operaatio taiteilijasta sotilaaksi". Yle (in Finnish).
- ^ a b c Kantola, Iida (31 May 2022). "Entinen eliittisotilas Janne Lehtonen paljastaa, millaista Suomen erikoisjoukoissa oikeasti on – vain harva tietää totuuden salatusta ammatista". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish).
- ^ Jompero-Lahokoski, Sanna (17 May 2022). "Janne, 39, on jahdannut merirosvoja Somaliassa ja väistellyt tienvarsipommeja Afganistanissa – "Elämään kuuluu välillä tuntea rankkoja asioita"". Länsiväylä (in Finnish).
- ^ a b c d Sarenius, Sanna (14 April 2019). "Taiteilijasta taistelusukeltajaksi: vuodet ulkomailla opettivat keravalaista Jannea arvostamaan sitä, miten hyvin asiat ovat Suomessa". Keski-Uusimaa (in Finnish).
- ^ @janezkyy (30 December 2023). "Kannoin oman korteni Ukrainan sotaan ja koulutin sankareita kuinka pahuutta poistetaan" [I put my effort for the Ukrainian War and trained heroes how to vanish the evil.] (in Finnish) – via Instagram.
- ^ "Erikoisjoukot on Suomen tv-historian rankin kilpailu – Nämä julkkikset astuvat koulutukseen!". Nelonen (in Finnish). 29 April 2022.
- ^ Riskala, Tuomas (1 June 2022). "Erikoisjoukkojen pääkouluttaja Janne Lehtonen paljastaa, millaista äärimmäisen rankka työ on oikeasti: "Ylivoimaisesti raskainta oli palvella Somaliassa"". Seiska (in Finnish).
- ^ Hakulinen, Juulia (16 December 2023). "Amazing Racen voittajat paljastavat, mitä asioita ei näytetty katsojille". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish).
- ^ a b Korpela, Tanja (26 February 2024). "Yllättävä muutos! Erikoisjoukot-kouluttaja Janne Lehtonen hämmästyi suomalaisten käytöksestä". Seiska (in Finnish).
- ^ a b "Uskallusta tarttua tilaisuuksiin ja CrossFit-intoilua ft. Janne Lehtonen". Supla (in Finnish).
- ^ Leinonen, Milla (21 April 2023). "Erikoisjoukot-ohjelmasta tutut kouluttajat työskentelevät Helsinki-Vantaan lentoasemalla". Seiska (in Finnish).
- ^ "Seikkailija, taistelija, pelastaja: Janne Lehtonen kuvailee työtä Finavian pelastuspalvelussa ainutlaatuiseksi kokemukseksi". Finavia (in Finnish). 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Front Page". CrossFit Woima (in Finnish).
- ^ Löfman, Heikki (28 March 2019). "Stadin brankkarit tuovat uutta crossfit-pöhinää Keravalle – CrossFit Woima aukeaa toukokuussa". Keski-Uusimaa (in Finnish).
- ^ Niemi, Elina (4 January 2023). "Erikoisjoukkojen Janne Lehtonen julistaa rakkautta: "Haluan sua taas jopa enemmän"". Seiska (in Finnish).
- ^ "Erikoisjoukot-sarjan Janne Lehtonen rakastui tulevaan vaimoonsa 14-vuotiaana: "Olin aika hulivili ja hän oli kympintyttö"". Anna (in Finnish). 28 February 2024.
- ^ Juutilainen, Anneli (12 March 2024). "Ammattisotilaana Janne Lehtonen oli pitkiä aikoja poissa – jokaisen kotiinpaluun jälkeen hän rakastui uudelleen". Anna (in Finnish).
- ^ Uusivirta, Mari (5 June 2024). "Entinen ammattisotilas voi kiehahtaa pienestä – tällaista on elää traumaperäisen stressihäiriön kanssa". Yle (in Finnish).
- ^ "Janne Lehtonen | Puoli seitsemän". Yle Areena (in Finnish). 9 February 2024.