The Finns saw a fairly minor victory in the 20 kilometer freestyle skiing race in Ruka on Sunday.
Finland’s women pulled the lowest in Ruka’s World Cup history, which began in 2002, when the 28th-placed Vilma Ryytty was the best Finn. So far, the weakest competition was seen on November 29, 2019, when Anne Kyllönen was 24th in the traditional sprint.
Ryytty had a hard time on Saturday when his pole broke at the start of the traditional ten. The cause was a faulty output port. At that time Ryytty was surprised by the situation, but on Sunday the situation was different.
When the race covered the 2.5 kilometer Lenkki for the sixth time, Ryytty kept the pace at the head of his group and tried to catch the others. At that time Ryytty was in 19th place in the competition.
Ryytty told Urheilu after the competition that he knew how to expect a good competition in freestyle skiing.
– The more special and slower the conditions, the stronger I am. Also, the longer the trip, the better, Ryytty stated.
Ryytty also revealed that he did not avoid stick problems on Sunday either.
– It was rough at first. I didn’t have time to put the other rod in my hand before the start beep sounded, Ryytty stated.
He was also happy with his draw before the final two rounds.
– Then when I found the tube, where it was calmer, I felt really good for the first six laps. At the end, the leg got stiff, Ryytty described.
Krista Pärmäkoski out of maintenance, Kerttu Niskanen feeling strange
Krista Pärmäkoski and Kerttu Niskanen were more than three minutes behind the leader. The rankings were 31st and 32nd.
Pärmäkoski admitted after the competition that the result was not what they were looking for.
– We will certainly go with the maintenance team to at least test the skis. At first it felt really good, but then it felt like it was frozen. Hard to say since I haven’t been able to test it. It was certainly not the best day either, Pärmäkoski described.
Head coach of the Finnish women’s cross country team Ville Maunuksela admits that the skis did not offer help to the Finns.
– Certainly there were really tough opponents on the line, but yes, we had one additional opponent under the skiers’ feet. The skis were definitely given some leveling today, Maunuksela stated.
According to Maunuskela, there was also a difference within the team. He visually estimated that, for example, Vilma Ryyty had a competitive ski in her own group.
– But other women had more or less challenges. At least no help came from skiing.
Kerttu Niskanen told Urheilu that he doesn’t really remember anything after the finish line.
– It was cold. It was the best feeling for the rest of the trip. However, I knew how to go to the finish line at the right time, Niskanen said.
According to Niskanen, it was about the conditions, the weather was heavy and the frost was severe. Niskanen also admitted that he too had problems with skiing.
– At the end, the journey weighed. Couldn’t ski. I went to the ice. It was a strange feeling, Niskanen stated.
Sports expert Aino-Kaisa Saarinen according to Pärmäkoski and Maunuskela’s comments, it sounds like the maintenance team gets a clean slate if some athlete has had a good ski and some hasn’t.
– The responsibility lies with the athlete. It’s either the wrong choice of skis or you can’t find skis for this weather, Aino-Kaisa Saarinen guessed.
Finnish maintenance manager Heikki Tonteri however, raised his hand as a sign of error.
– We weren’t good enough today, Tonteri said.
– There were differences between the athletes in the women’s games. It is still not possible to find out whether the reason was the cream, profile or pattern of the ski. However, we made corrections to the men’s race.