Lauri Vuorinen, who had the best normal distance skis of his career, left the Tour de Ski. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen is upset about the decision.
Joel Sippola,
Roope Visuri
Better known as a sprint skier Lauri Vuorinen was the most positive Finnish surprise at this year’s Tour de Ski. The 28-year-old skier convinced, especially on normal trips.
In the Toblach ten-kilometer traditional intermediate start race, he was a fine 11th, which is the best ranking of his career in the standard distances of the World Cup. In the 20 km traditional pursuit race skied in Davos on Thursday, he continued his strong trend, placing 13th.
However, Vuorinen, who reached 20th place in the overall race, decided to stop the tour on Thursday evening.
– There is no getting sick or anything else, a very competitive solution to go home from here to recover and rest. There are still a lot of races for this season. I don’t feel that I have anything to contribute to the overall Tour anymore. The best trips are already behind us, Vuorinen said on the audio tape of the Ski Association.
Urheilu’s cross-country expert Aino-Kaisa Saarinen is surprised by Vuorinen’s decision. Saarinen feels that Vuorinen could have been strong also in the 15 km traditional co-start race in Val di Fiemme on Saturday.
– Vuorinen is in good shape. Tomorrow’s race would have suited him well. However, the Tour de Ski is the main event of the season. I don’t know what Lauri’s main goal is, but this would have been a place to try skiing until the end of the Tour.
Vuorinen stated after the race that he was tired.
– Ask Harald Östberg from Amundsen, From Jessie Diggins or Kerttu from Niskase does it make you tired? Everyone says it’s tiring, and when you’re in top shape, you recover really well. I myself have the experience that when the Tour has been completed well, the condition jumps to completely new spheres.
“Made a cool race”
Saarinen says that skiing to the end of the Tour does not automatically mean that you will get sick later or that the season will be over.
– He was in such good shape that it would have been worth trying. I don’t have a crystal ball to see in which direction my fitness would go. However, both options have been seen, Saarinen reminds.
Saarinen says that the Val di Fiemme track would have been perfect for Vuorinen, who has skied good traditional distance races.
If Vuorinen had succeeded, he would have struggled to get into the top 15 in the overall competition.
– He had an absolutely freezing race yesterday. I bet he would have persisted and persisted again. In the overall competition, of course, he wouldn’t have fought for the top three, but the ranking could have gone up, Saarinen thinks.
A safe solution
Aino-Kaisa Saarinen says that Lauri Vuorinen’s strength is speed, but there have been problems with endurance.
– Now that area should have been developed. This was a pretty safe solution.
This season, there are no adult value competitions in the program. Vuori is still missing a personal World Cup podium finish. It remains to be seen whether Vuorinen will ski on the podium in the rest of the season.
– Why couldn’t that be possible. However, you have to be strong at the end and in the last two heats. However, he has not reached the finals yet, Saarinen refers to this season.