Planica World Cup skiing on channels 22.2.–5.3.2023. See the program and broadcast information of the World Ski Championships in this link.
Demanding courses challenge the Finns in the descents
PLANICA. The tracks of the World Championships are worthy of prestigious competitions, because no skier can get there easily. The slopes of the tracks are warps, but the working sections are long.
– The tracks are suitable for Finns, especially on the so-called blue side, in the upper part of the track, Kalle Lassila tells.
– Because the ascent angles are gentle, there are many skiable slopes. The rise angle doesn’t cause loads, they come from the fact that the working sections are really long.
What Finns don’t like on Planica’s WC tracks are the descents and bends. After each descent, there is a tight bend that eats up the speed of the descents.
– Finns are pretty bad calculators and steppers. If the free style of skiing is not suitable for Finns, then stepping on descents is also suitable.
According to Lassila, there is a need for an element of skill in invoices, such as Johannes Hösflot Kläbo is overwhelming.
– He wins a lot of seconds on every trip, especially in the descents, and also saves a lot of energy.
Classic Central European conditions
The sun has been shining in Planica for the last few days and the mercury has been sparkling brightly on the positive side. However, it has been freezing at night, which has resulted in a rough surface on the track.
Because the snow on the track is very finely divided, it is really fast when it is icy. As the sun warms the track, the surface of the snow gets wet and it slows down the speed a lot.
The weather forecasts for Planica have been quite contradictory, but it is likely to rain or snow during the weekend.
– As the Games progress, if it rains occasionally and the snow gets old, it might remain rough and slippery, says Kalle Lassila.
According to Lassila, the conditions in Planica are classic Central European, which the Finnish maintenance team has already gotten used to in the previous Seefeld and Oberstdorf World Championships and World Cups.
– This is a typical condition for these latitudes, and Finnish maintenance has a lot of experience with this. There are many experienced maintenance men in Finland who can certainly manage these conditions.
Will we see a Finnish surprise in the sprint?
According to Kalle Lassila, the Finnish ski team’s selections for both the sprint and combined races were expected. Finnish women ski in sprints Jasmi Joensuu, Anne Kyllönen, Jasmin Kähärä and Johanna Matintaloof men Ville Ahonen, Niilo Moilanen, Joni Mäki and Lauri Vuorinen.
Kalle Lassila expects the most from Joni Mäki, but Niilo Moilanen is also an interesting name in his opinion.
– A young man who is in such a rocket-rising stage in his career that he can positively surprise, says Lassila.
– On the women’s side, Johanna Matintalo is certainly looking forward to the sprint day very much. He has shown many times that he can ski at a speed that warrants a podium. I see no reason why he can’t do it now.
Among the international competitors, Lassila singles out Italy Federico Pellegrino and Norwegian Johannes Hösflot Kläbon, because the Planica track suits them really well.
– The track is such that it requires a lot of variation in rhythm, and in one big climb, the type of climb changes in the middle of everything. There are many twists and turns and it requires a lot of technical know-how. That’s what those men are really good at.
In the combined race, the pressure is on Niskas
The expected names from Finland have also been nominated for Friday’s combined competition. In the women’s competition, Anne Kyllönen, Kerttu Niskanen, Eveliina Piippo and Krista Pärmäkoski and in men Perttu Hyvärinen, Remi Lindholm, Iivo Niskanen and Arsi Ruuskanen.
According to Kalle Lassila, it is really important for athletes to know their first trips in good time, so that they can prepare for their opening trip as well as possible.
In combined competitions, the biggest Finnish expectations are on the shoulders of the Niskaste sisters.
– The fact that the track has a really long working section and a gentle ascent should suit Niskaste’s shift skiing perfectly, says Lassila.
According to him, because of the track, there can be a lot of differences already in the traditional section. That’s why it’s important that the Niskas get up to speed from the start if they want to join the medal fight.
– Both of them have a weaker style of free skiing, but if they have spread the pack properly with traditional, it can be a pretty good day, Lassila guesses.
Hakola’s screens were not enough for a sprint position
Cross mat Hakola won the sprint Finnish championship in January, but he was not selected for the sprint race at the World Championships. This did not surprise Kalle Lassila.
– He has no evidence. You can’t choose for international competitions based only on the WC, because it’s a completely different thing to ski a national competition than an international competition, Lassila reminds.
Although Hakola has accumulated enormously good results and success in sprints over the years, in recent years he has no longer focused on sprints, but on longer distances. According to Lassila, it seems strongly that Hakola is part of the Finnish men’s relay team.
– Yes, it does smell a bit like “Rise” is there in the message. Let’s hope that Ristomatti will be in the best shape for that competition. Although he has been seen very little in competitions, I have heard from training that he is in good shape.