The women’s national biathlon team is undergoing a generational change, and many top athletes have retired from the top of the sport. Kaisa Mäkäräinen wants to give young people more screen time.
Anu Karttunen,
Joel Holma,
Petra Manner
Kaisa Mäkäräinen bore great responsibility for the success of Finnish biathlon in the 2010s. After Mäkäräinen Mari Eder were the top names in the team. When Eder ended his racing career last season, the pressure to succeed this season has piled up Suvi Minkkinen on the shoulders.
Minkkinen’s season, who finished eighth in the normal course of the World Championships last season, has gotten off to a slow start. According to Mäkäräinen, who works as an expert for Urheilu, Minkkinen’s shooting is at the same, convincing level as before, but his skiing speed, on the other hand, has not petered out. Other Finns have the same situation.
– At least after the first week, it doesn’t look good. That difference on the track is unfortunate for both women and men, but especially women, Mäkäräinen said in Urheilustudio.
– Of course, there are younger athletes there now, World Cup first-timers. I want to give them more opportunities and screen chances, because Östersund is a raw place to start the World Cup season.
In front of a big change
Minkkinen’s skiing speed has also been slowed down by the corona virus he contracted after a long high-altitude camp in the fall. Mäkäräinen believes that the disease is still visible, but that Minkkinen’s speed will improve as the season continues.
– I always have a goal that I can improve the previous best. Now that would mean I could set goals to defeat. It would be cool to get into the top six, Minkkinen said.
The Finnish national team is undergoing a generational change, and behind Minkkinen there are now new names in the A national team. However, you can also find familiar ones there Erika Jänkä and Venla Lehtonen. Jänkä was at his best in the World Cup last season 45th, Lehtonen 40th.
– We are facing a big change. We don’t have a number one star. It certainly brings hunger, because we want to show that we are growing and becoming new stars, Jänkä said.
The head coach Erik Kulstad stated that the previous generation carried the torch forward, but now others have stepped up and done a good job.
– I don’t expect much from the start of the season because there have been illnesses in the team. I expect this season they will take a step forward, Kulstad said.
One more year, Kaisa?
Kaisa Mäkäräinen reminds that even from an international point of view, in the last two years there has been a lot of room for the top when the tops have stopped. Also, due to the war of aggression started by Russia against Ukraine, the top of the sport lacks Russian and Belarusian athletes who have previously participated on a wide front.
Since there would be space available at the top, the question easily arises if Kaisa Mäkäräinen could also consider returning to the race tracks. Mäkäräinen answered the one more year question enigmatically in Urheilustudio:
– In the spring, Kontiolahti will host the biathlon championships. Maybe there. Let’s see how cold the winter will be, how many times I dare to go shooting, Mäkäräinen said and said that he still digs out a gun once every two or three months for mothballs.