A cold Frida Karlsson did not appear at the award ceremony – Finnish women were not frozen by the cold: “It’s a matter of clothing”

Kerttu Niskanen and Anne Kjersti Kalvå received their awards without Frida Karlsson, who was warming up.

Swedish Frida Karlsson started Beitostölen’s 10-kilometer traditional cross-country race with the speed of the race, but froze in the bitter cold from the top spot to third in the second round.

When the competition started, the air temperature was almost 19 degrees below zero.

Karlsson, who was severely frostbitten, chose to warm up in the tent instead of the award ceremony. The winner of the competition Kerttu Niskanen and Norway came second Anne Kjersti Kalvå they got to collect their prize together.

– The cold doesn’t seem to suit me terribly well. I like it when it’s warm, but I was really happy with how I held up. I maybe opened too hard today, Karlsson estimated for SVT (you switch to another service).

Finnish women were not bothered by the severe cold, although it was felt in the members. Kerttu Niskanen tried to keep himself as warm as possible before leaving.

– When you feel like going all the time in the race, you somehow stay warm. The race suit isn’t that thick, yes, your legs were supposed to be frozen, he admitted.

Placed 24th in the race Anne Kyllönen assured that the cold had no effect on his race.

– There is so much going on and mood that you don’t have time to think about it, he stated.

Also ranked tenth Jasmi Joensuu didn’t let the cold air bother me. Like many skiers, he had taped his cheeks, because tapes protect against the wind.

– It’s a matter of clothing. I really just have to learn how to dress. This is an outdoor sport and it can be 20 below zero. You shouldn’t complain about that, Joensuu said.

Finnish women’s coach Juho Halonen said that the team had been given the same instructions as were used at the Beijing Olympics last season. At that time, some of the competitions were skied in freezing temperatures.

– We had a pretty seasoned team on the line and we certainly knew how to manage these colder conditions in the same way as in Beijing. Warm to the start and calm with the initial speeds, Halonen said.

Update at 14:27: Added Juho Halonen’s comment.