Holmenkollen is the most legendary ski competition of the World Cup. In recent years, however, the behavior of spectators at the competition venue has made headlines. On Saturday, drunken spectators hurt themselves and young people fought with each other.
According to NRK, 130 viewers needed help from the Red Cross during the day. They were mostly between 16 and 20 years old. VG, on the other hand, told how the first aid tent had been full of injured and passed out young people. According to NRK, 45–50 viewers were thrown out of Holmenkollen.
Swedish skiing star Ebba Andersson condemned the behavior of the spectators at Expressen and did not think it was good for sporting events. Moa Lundgren reports that during the competition there was a fight like at a nakki kiosk. Alcohol and probably drugs reeked on the track.
Urheilu’s skiing expert Aino-Kaisa Saarinen has competed several times at Holmenkollen. He is also the previous Finnish winner of Holmenkollen, when he won the 30 km race in 2007.
The last time Saarinen competed at Holmenkollen was in 2018. At that time, eight people were injured, one seriously, in a big fight.
According to Saarinen, during his active days there was not the same kind of confusion as Holmenkollen has had in recent years.
– It was cool then. Perhaps this has changed in recent years. That was the last time bottle caps were thrown. Then you had to be on your guard, Saarinen recalls.
– Now Holmenkollen’s competitions have turned into an over-the-top party. Before, families went to the forest to spend a great skiing weekend. Now it’s gone in the wrong direction. Holmenkollen has become a place for young people to relax, and you may not follow skiing anymore. The organizers have a lot of work there now.
Surprise
He was responsible for the biggest Finnish surprise of the weekend Lauri Lepistö. The skier from Jämin Jänte was twelfth in the men’s 50 kilometers on Sunday. It is the best World Cup ranking of Lepistö’s career. The decisive thing was Lepistö’s change of skis a lap later than the rest of the top group.
Lepistö told Urheilu after the competition that he was in deep water since the beginning of winter. It had gone so badly before Christmas that Lepistö had already wondered if there would be any more skiing.
Lepistö is not currently in the A national team, nor did he accept a place in the B national team for this season. He has been part of Electrofit’s private team.
– It’s great that Lauri had the courage to try a different tactic in the late ski change. He took a small risk and put himself in the game, Saarinen gushed.
A flop
This weekend’s flop for Aino-Kaisa Saarinen was the Niskanen sisters.
Saarinen would have needed a place on the podium from either of them. Iivo Niskanen was ninth and Kerttu Niskanen fifth.
Iivo Niskanen admitted that he made a mistake when preparing his tactics. Kerttu Niskanen praised his skis, but only said that he froze from the ice of a hard race.
Aino-Kaisa Saarinen would have needed a better tactical eye from Iivo Niskas.
Even Kerttu Niskaseen Saarinen was disappointed. Swedish Frida Karlsson was the overwhelming winner, but Saarinen reminded of the 20 km joint start race he competed in Canmore, Canada in February. Then Niskanen kept up with Karlsson and was second.
– They went side by side in Canada. However, Kertu’s best condition seems to be behind the rapako, Saarinen pointed out.
What on earth?
In the Task of the Sports Studio Janne Ahonen and Petra Olli had to do the arm twisting challenge. The expert duo from Urheilustudio met in an arm wrestling match at the WC in Jyväskylä.
Janne Ahonen took the win, even though he worked as a sports expert on ‘s broadcasts Ville Mutikainen had time to congratulate ex-wrestler Olli in advance.
– Surprising, but straight from the textbook to the page and Petra’s hand to the pillow, Mutikainen evaluates the solution.
Ahosen had an incredible feeling about his victory.
– This was a big surprise. Petra had such explosive starts, her elbow just couldn’t stay still. My hand stayed better. That maybe saved, Ahonen expressed the mood and said that he was very nervous before the match.
What next?
The Skiing World Cup culminates this week with the traditional sprint in Drammen on Tuesday and the final weekend of three races in Falun, Sweden.
Finland’s head coach Teemu Pasanen according to the end of season competitions, there is also a financial contribution for the coming season from the point of view of the Ski Association.
If the skier belongs to a hot group, the race organizer covers travel and accommodation expenses.
At the beginning of the next season, the hot groups include those athletes who reach the top 15 in the sprint and distance cups at the end of the season.
– Jasmi Joensuu, Joni Mäki and Lauri Vuorinen are among the top 15 in the sprint cup. Iivo Niskasella and Perttu Hyvärinen there is little chance of getting into the top 15 in the distance cup, Pasanen told Urheilu in Oslo.
Kerttu Niskanen won the distance cup last year and was third in the overall cup. Now he is fifth in both.
– Kerttu Niskanen can get into the top three in both with good skis, Pasanen estimates.
According to Saarinen, the battles to win the overall cup seem clear. Norwegian Harald Östberg Amundsen to win in the men’s and the United States Jessie Diggins in women. Sick over the course of the season Johannes Hösflot Kläbo is only 202 points away from Amundsen.
– Kläbo cannot catch Amundsen. Harald is still in good shape and is doing the necessary good results. The differences are so small in the bow, Saarinen estimates.
The cross-country skiing world cup continues on Tuesday, March 12. At the Drammen city sprint with traditional skiing. Qualifying at 12:30 p.m., heats from 3 p.m. does not have TV rights, but the events are followed moment by moment on the website and in the app.
will show the World Cup’s culminating Falun Games on March 15-17. You can find shipping information at this link.