In Nordic skiing, one of the biggest points of excitement at the moment is where you can compete. The weak snow situation and warm conditions have caused a big challenge for organizing the games.
The combined two race weekends from January have had to be cancelled, although it is still open whether it would be possible to race next week in Kligenthal, Germany.
In cross-country skiing, on the other hand, the fate of the French Les Rousses race planned for the last weekend of this month is tense. The decision will be made on Monday. Among other things, the Finnish Ski Federation has demanded that FIS (International Ski Federation) have a contingency plan ready.
Athletes suffer the most from the current situation. A cross-country skier who is part of Finland’s medal hopes at the World Championships in Planica Johanna Matintalo competed last time around the middle of December in Beitostölen. He was third in the traditional sprint.
Matintalo, who missed the Tour de Ski, should have competed in the Skandinavia cup in Rovaniemi last week. However, the event had to be canceled due to severe frost. The race break has stretched out too long.
– Les Rousses is the most important weekend in my calendar. Now it is even more important, when the international competition break is very long. Of course, Tampere will have the Skiing Championships next weekend, but international competitions are always a different story. Especially in sprints, it raises the level of competition considerably, says Matintalo.
In Les Rousses, there would be Matintalo’s mind trips: a traditional sprint and a 20-kilometer joint start with the traditional.
At the World Championships in Planica, the sprint is skied exactly in the traditional way. The final distance, the 30-kilometer joint start, is also skied traditional, so a long race to be skied in France would be a good general.
– I believe that for all those who plan to ski in Planica on those trips, Les Rousses is important. For example, the traditional sprint is skied for the last time before the World Championships.
Matintalo wonders why the games have been moved to a place where there have been problems before. He understands that holding cross-country skiing competitions in Central Europe is important for the sport, but canceling Les Rousses would not be the first time.
– I have understood that this is the fourth time that the World Cup should be held there, but there has never been skiing there. If for the fourth time a race is granted to a place where it has not been possible to race even once due to the conditions, it is worth considering whether there will be conditions there in the future as well, Matintalo acknowledges to the skiing decision-makers.
Johanna Matintalo would like to ski a traditional sprint and a 20 km joint start in France.
“A special situation”
The previous traditional sprint was skied in Val di Fiemme in connection with the Tour de Ski. However, Matintalo reminds that many of the best sprinters did not participate in the Tour. Before that, the previous sprint race was in mid-December in Beitostölen.
– It would be quite a strange situation if Les Rousses were to miss skiing for some reason. The gap can be months long before the value races, Matintalo refers to the traditional sprint.
At the beginning of February, the last World Cup races before the World Cup will be held in Toblach, Italy.
One option that has emerged is that the canceled races of Les Rousses would be contested in Toblach. So if the event has to be cancelled.
According to Matintalo, the Toblach track is not the best possible for a traditional sprint. However, the most important thing for him is that we can compete somewhere.
Eveliina Piippo wants faster decisions from the International Ski Federation.
“International screens more important”
Eveliina Piippo can return to the ranking level in Planica after a four-year break. However, fresh evidence is required from the free special woman who last raced a month ago.
They can already be given in the SC games, but Piippo says that performances in international games tell more about the current performance.
– You have to use all the available screen space and do your best. There’s nothing you can do about it.
In Les Rousses, Piipo’s program would include an important free lap as an intermediate start. It is also a World Cup trip.
– However, it seems that FIS always waits until the last moment and then it’s too late. When it is known that there is no snow there, it becomes quite impossible to move with this schedule, Piippo sees.
Piippo says that he has to ski well in Tampere in order to get a place in France.
– Even my own screens are starting to get quite old, when I last competed in mid-December. I don’t know if you can choose on such screens. Let’s hope that we will get the championships. There you can see if those who didn’t go to the Tour are still in the game.
– My personal opinion is that international competitions are more important than Finnish competitions, Piippo sees.
Matintalo adds that the cancellation of the Rousses would especially affect Finnish sprinters. The competition for places in Planica is fierce. Among other things, the foursome has a lot to offer Joni Mäki, Lauri Vuorinen, Niilo Moilanen, Ville Ahonen, Olli Ahonen, Lauri Mannila, Markus Vuorela and Verneri Suhonen.
– When you think about the men’s national team, many athletes with sprint potential are in a tight spot. With that in mind, Les Rousses is more important to some athletes than any other World Cup race weekend. It is the only place to give screens to Planica. I’m in a good situation, that the screens have already been given, says Matintalo.
The fleet cannot keep up
One of the top Finnish combined names Ilkka Herola finished second in Otepää last week. It would be nice to measure the fit now.
– Yes, this kind of situation is frustrating. This is what we do to compete. In this situation, I would have preferred to continue with a normal competition rhythm. Now we have to think about what to do in the meantime, Herola said on Urheilu’s Urheilustudio’s Instagram live on Friday.
In the combined MM displays gives, for example Otto Niittykoski. In Otepää, the young athlete achieved his career best World Cup ranking (23rd).
Niittykoski does not believe that the cancellation of the Games is a threat when thinking about the World Championships.
– There are some skiing competitions in Finland, if you want some competitive training. I noticed in the summer GP series that you can get in good shape even without the races.
However, one thing upsets him.
– The rhythm can break down and there will be adjustments with the ski equipment. The skis already left for Klingentahl. Also, taking a successful performance to the next weekend would have been much easier with a shorter schedule.