“A bit like being forced to ski tomorrow”

On Saturday, the 10-kilometer freestyle skiing competitions will be held in Toblach. Women’s race on TV2 from 13:55 and men’s race from 15:55.

Jasmi Joensuu was very frustrated after the Toblach freestyle sprint race on Friday. His career ended already in the heat and the result was 23rd place. That didn’t satisfy him, and neither did the way he lost the runner-up spot.

– Something has to start happening at that end. I give too much equalization at the end. I was bad at it today too, Joensuu muttered.

– I just don’t understand. Such greetings to the coach at home, that now let’s start practicing that final scrimmage. So many times this year I have lost in it!

The Toblach weekend is the last World Cup competition before the World Cup in Planica. It is the last place for the athletes to show speed for, among other things, the pair sprint and the relay.

Joensuu said before the sprint race that he has a goal to ski the freestyle 10 km race at the World Championships.

Last weekend, Joensuu finished 26th in Les Rousses on the way. He had wished he hadn’t had to ski the trip on Saturday.

– My desire was to ski on Friday and Sunday, but it’s a bit like I’m being forced to ski tomorrow. So let’s try to get back to tomorrow, Joensuu stated.

After the 10 km races on Saturday, there will be relay races on Sunday in Toblach.

“I tried to slip into an unnecessarily small gap”

Another disappointed Finnish skier was Joni Mäki, which was still a shadow of itself last weekend. At that time, he qualified from the heat stage of the traditional skiing sprint.

In Toblach, Mäki was in much better shape, as he was second in qualifying, but his good result in the heats was ruined by a pole break.

– In hindsight, I tried to slip into such an unnecessarily small gap. Went between the guy’s legs and the stick broke. Maybe you should have been patient, Mäki admitted.

Sports expert Ville Nousiainen was of the opinion that Mäki’s hoe technique did not look as efficient as usual. He speculated that the breaking of the rod might have pumped extra lactate into Mäki’s legs.

The skier himself stated that he did not have extra energy for the situation, but instead the spare pole caused problems.

– I didn’t really get any kind of grip on it, Mäki said.

Coach of the Finnish team Ville Oksanen saddened Mäki’s haaver, because the Olympic medalist was in much better shape than in previous weekends. Oksanen reminded that Mäe had a bad training season. It has created pressure for training, load and variation in the level of performance.

– However, it has been known that when Joni recovers from that Christmas and New Year’s training period and the following competitions, then he will definitely start walking, Oksanen said.

The abandoned Son refused to give up

However, one of the skiers of the Finnish team was all smiles after the sprint race. Verneri Poikonen for the first time in his career reached the qualifying stage of the World Cup sprint. He was already confusing in qualifying, as he was 11th fastest at that time and lost Johannes Hösflot for Kläbo only 3.04 seconds.

– When I heard in the middle of the interval that I was 1.5 seconds ahead, for a while I wondered if they had the right man in this interval, Poikonen laughed at his qualification.

– That I would be one and a half behind? But it was the best time trial of my life, by far. I made it to the final stage of fencing again.

Even the fact that he was rejected in the first round didn’t dampen the boy’s smile. He was deemed to have blocked Slovenia Miha Simencibut Poikonen himself was of the opinion that everything happened according to the rules and there was enough room in the corners.

– I took my place. If you go side by side with someone from our age, I’m usually the first to come out of that corner.

Poikonen said that he got a good buzz from the Universiade in January and continued it to Toblach as well. At the Universiade held in the USA, Poikonen won the sprint competition in freestyle skiing, among other things.

– Six races in ten days, but luckily I recovered, Poikonen said and thanked his teammate From Tiia Olkko for the loan of ski goggles.

– Since the sprint in Lake Placid, I have skied every race with these and it has gone well. It may be that you have to slowly start agreeing on the price and how they would change hands.

On Saturday, the 10-kilometer freestyle skiing competitions will be held in Toblach. Women’s race on TV2 from 13:55 and men’s race from 15:55.