What speaks?
Former artist star Antti Tuisku interested the people and the media on Saturday in Imatra, when he skied for the first time at the SM level in the men’s 10 km traditional intermediate start race.
Tuisku, who has been practicing skiing full-time for the year, struggled to finish in 142nd place and left nine men behind. Leave the winner Cross mat Hakola accumulated about eight and a half minutes.
There were a lot of people along the slopes on Saturday who were watching their first skiing competition, inspired by Tuisku.
‘s ski expert Kalle Lassila hopes that Tuisku’s skiing project will inspire people to take part in piste events and to move in other ways – especially when most people don’t exercise enough.
– Tuisku’s example hopefully sends a message that exercise is not just a compulsion, but that it can really have a lot of content and good effects on your everyday life, says Lassila.
Who surprised?
Tero Seppälä and Suvi Minkkinen organized a biathlon relay in Oberhof on Sunday, when the duo became the first Finns to win the mixed relay of the World Cup.
Minkkinen decided the game with the last shooting position and continued in the lead until the goal. The victory was the first of their careers at this level for both athletes.
Shooting has traditionally been difficult for the Finns, but in Sunday’s mixed doubles relay, Finland was the best in the entire race and only used five spare cartridges.
Others have also succeeded in shooting. For example Sonja Leinamo scored zeroes in Thursday’s sprint race and finished eighth.
biathlon expert Ville Kotikumpu guesses that the change is due to good work in the training camps.
– We have familiarized ourselves with shooting techniques and done a lot of group exercises, where we get the toughness that Suvi needed today at the last shooting location. He was able to perform quickly and accurately under tight pressure.
The sport’s World Championships will start in a month in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. The early season performances bode well for Finland.
– With Minkkinen’s top performance, one can even talk about a medal candidate. Similarly, in the mixed doubles relay, the team can believe in itself, why not talk about medal candidacy there too, Kotikumpu says.
Who flopped?
Vaisukhkot early seasons with those who skied On Joni Mäki and At Remi Lindholm had the opportunity to give displays at the Imatra Championship.
Although the toughest national team members missed the line, Mäki and Lindholm did not reach top results.
Mäki, who was ill at Christmas time, failed in the anchor part of the pair sprint Cross mat for Hakola and skipped the traditional ten. He stopped the combined competition.
– It didn’t start moving at any point. There was nothing to win. You have to think carefully about what to do, Mäki pondered the continuation on Sunday after the interruption.
Lindholm was 17th in the traditional 10 km and fourth in the combined race.
Iivo Niskanen and Perttu Hyvärinen have been sick and did not participate in the WC or the previous Tour de Ski.
Skiing expert Kalle Lassila still sees the situation of the men’s national team as reasonably good.
– Of course, there are a few experienced skiers who are well advanced, but there is no way that everyone would be in an optimal situation at this point.
What on earth?
Vilma Ryytty ran away to the Finnish women’s 20 km combined skiing championship in the ski change on Sunday, even though she had not previously competed in that race distance.
– It went really well. I was a bit nervous, as I have never changed equipment in a pen like this before, Ryytty said.
Back in December, Ryytty lost to the winner of the 20-kilometer traditional two-minute race in the FIS championships named Imatra Spa Skiing For Fanny Kukonlehto.
However, the month’s intact training season turned the condition into a sharp rise.
– It’s been quite a month and a really crazy weekend, in addition to his first Finnish championship, Ryytty has won two silver medals.
What next?
The Skiing World Cup continues next week in France. There are about six weeks until the World Championships in cross-country skiing.
Head coach of the national team Teemu Pasanen hopes that everyone stays healthy as the climax of the season approaches.
– The next few weeks are decisive. In general, there are quite a lot of minor illnesses in the ski team. Now it’s important to stay healthy.
In the World Cup, there are still races in France, Switzerland, Italy and Sweden before the World Cup races in Trondheim.
– There is quite a lot of traveling and competing here even before that. The most important thing is to try to keep up the energy and be at your best six weeks from now.
Pasanen says that a few athletes who performed well at the Imatra WC will be able to perform at the following World Cups.
– The World Cup teams are still open and we hope for screens there so that we can see who is skiing what for each trip.