Sports expert Kalle Lassila believes that Finnish skiers who have succeeded in the Beijing Olympics can go to the Games in Finland without pressure. According to Lassila, competing in front of the home audience is a clear advantage for Finns.
For many top skiers, the end of the Beijing Olympics will mean blowing up and rocking off the shoulders. Years of practice and investment culminated in perhaps the most important competitions of his entire career.
However, skiers cannot rest on their laurels after the Olympic contract, as the World Cup tour will continue this weekend in Lahti with the Salpausselä Games. The season continues with four more World Cup weekends.
About the Finnish Olympic heroes Iivo Niskanen, Krista Pärmäkoski, Kerttu Niskanen and Joni Mäki will return to reality as early as Thursday, when the culminating stadium print of the multi-week Helsinki Ski Weeks event will be competing at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Also disappointed at the Olympics Ristomatti Hakola, Lauri Vuorinen and Jasmi Joensuu seek success in Töölö.
Among the international sprinting stars involved in the traditional skiing sprint are, among others, Norway Johannes Hösflot KläboSlovenian Anamarija Lampic and Italian Federico Pellegrino.
The shortest recovery time among the Finnish tops is in Krista Pärmäkoski and Kerttu Niskanen, who contracted all the trips at the Olympics, except for the freestyle sprint.
Pärmäkoski and Niskanen last raced on Sunday when the women’s 30 kilometers ended the Beijing Olympics cross-country skiing program. After a race in high air and freezing frost, they traveled from Zhangjiako to Beijing, where Niskanen was awarded a 30-kilometer bronze medal and Pärmäkoski carried the Finnish flag at the Olympic closing ceremony. The journey home to Finland began the very next morning, Monday.
In practice, Pärmäkoski and Niskanen have only been able to calm down at home for two full days before the competition tour continues in Helsinki.
Sports Expert Kalle Lassila is not worried about the recovery of Finnish skiers – after all, they are experienced professional athletes who are used to straining their bodies to the extreme almost all year round.
On the other hand, the fatigue caused by the six-hour time difference may take away the best blade, especially when Thursday’s stadium sprint final is only skied at 8:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. Beijing time.
– Everyone who comes from the Olympics has more or less the same situation. How the Olympic time has gone is a significant factor. If the competitions at the Olympics came to an end and there were no problems during the Games, the situation is better in terms of recovery, Lassila states.
According to Lassila, the risk of becoming ill after the Olympics is clearly high. This week may decide the fate of the rest of the season.
– Everyone knows that when a clear stress factor and a big load is gone, it exposes you to getting sick. This situation has suited Finns. They have been really careful and really good at these health safety measures, Lassila praises.
The Finns were able to visit at home in between
According to Lassila, the Competition Calendar for the rest of the World Cup favors Finnish skiers, most of whom were away from home for more than a month due to the Olympics and the mountain camp that preceded them.
– I would see that Finns have a great advantage in being able to see their loved ones at the end of a long trip. The upcoming competitions are in Finland, so they don’t have to go on a trip as usual, at least not far from home, Lassila says.
Iivo Niskanen and Joni Mäki have had a slightly longer respite. The duo last competed last Wednesday in the Olympic doubles sprint, where they grabbed silver. The Finns who missed the final flight flew to Finland on Friday.
In recent days, Niska, who snapped medals from the Zhangjiakou trails, has been taken from one folk festival to another: on Tuesday night, big celebrations were held for the siblings in the hometown of Iivo and Kerttu Niskanen.
After the sprint at the Olympic Stadium, the skiers’ journey continues to Lahti. On Sunday, skiing in Niskaste and Pärmäkoski will take place in Salpausselä, 10 and 15 kilometers in the traditional way. On Saturday, the program includes freestyle sprints.
Where can you find the fighting spirit for the upcoming races?
Kerttu Niskanen, 33, silver and bronze medals from Beijing were the first personal value medals. Iivo Niskanen, 30, instead has gold for three consecutive Olympics.
Over the past couple of weeks, Niskanen’s siblings have achieved the best achievements of their careers. The condition is right with the Finnish star, but can there still be a recharge on the intellectual side for future competitions?
According to expert Kalle Lassila, it is very individual in which direction the skier’s mood starts after important value competitions.
– Sometimes the battery no longer has power and it is difficult to compete in a new race. Sometimes, again, when mental pressure and recharging are gone, one is able to compete very freely and with a positive mind. There may be surprisingly good results right after the value competitions, Lassila says.
Lassila believes that the Finns belong to the latter, liberated group, as the Olympics went even better than expected from the Finnish ski team. Competing in front of a home audience is also a big advantage.
– It helps that there is no compulsion or pressure to succeed at this stage. The team spirit is positive and happy. Skiing is in good shape in Finland, and people follow the skiing and got excited about the Olympic performances. I think it’s really great for skiers to be able to show off their own skills right away at home.
The stadium sprint event is a refreshing novelty
The Olympic Stadium sprint race was originally scheduled to take place a year ago, but the race was postponed due to a coronation situation.
There have been very few similar events, more entertaining than ordinary ski competitions, in Finland, but more regularly in other ski countries.
– There is definitely a place for that. In ancient times, there were many park skis that were similar in spirit and extremely popular. They are good events in the sense that people get close to athletes. These are shaky and joyful events, Lassila says.
According to Lassila, a different competition event will refresh the athletes.
– If I think about the last 15 years, Finnish athletes have missed such show events and roller skating competitions. Events that are outside the normal competition system.
The track at the Olympic Stadium event is a bit different from a regular sprint race. However, Lassila expects to see familiar names at the forefront, such as Kläbon and Pellegrino, who have experience of similar events.
However, the main stars are Finnish stars.
-This is a folk festival for skiers a bit like for Lions, but the sporty side is also included. The time for the Olympic Stadium competition and Salppur is really good. Most people suffer from withdrawal symptoms after the Olympics, Lassila says.
The Olympic Stadium sprint can be watched on TV2 starting at 6.45 pm on Thursday. also broadcasts the events of the Lahti Salpausselä Games on its channels from Friday to Sunday.