Suvi Minkkinen’s steady and reliable performances bode well for the World Championships in February, writes Urheilu’s editor Joel Holma.
Joel Holma sports reporter
Biathlon skier Suvi Minkkinen The beginning of the season has been a real blow for the athlete compared to the athlete’s previous performances.
Before the current season, Minkkinen had only once reached the top ten against the best in the world. This happened less than two years ago at the World Championships in Oberhof, when Minkkinen was eighth on the normal course.
In the current winter, Minkkinen has already placed in the top ten in the World Cup six times.
Minkkinen reached the podium for the first time in an individual race right at the beginning of the season in Kontiolahti, being third in the sprint race.
The good mood has been maintained until January.
On Thursday in Oberhof, Minkkinen was fifth in the sprint race (one penalty) and on Saturday eighth in the pursuit (two penalties). The Finn is fifth overall in the World Cup.
Minkkinen’s good performances and clear improvement are best explained by statistics. They also open a great view towards the World Cup.
Minkkinen is still extremely accurate
Minkkinen has already been one of the best shooters in the World Cup in previous seasons.
From the 2021–2022 season onwards, Minkkinen has been among the top eight when looking at hit percentages. During the Olympic winter in Beijing, Minkkinen’s shooting accuracy was no less than 94.40 percent and 92 percent in the vertical position.
– Completing more than 90 percent is a great level. It’s competitive, and you can do it every year, Urheilu’s expert Ville Kotikumpu amount.
Minkkinen has been at the top of the box in terms of hitting accuracy on the shooting bench this season as well. After the pursuit race in Oberhof, he is the sixth best in the statistics after ten individual races have been held.
Two of the athletes ahead of Finland are among the top ten in the overall standings of the World Cup.
Germany’s Vanessa Voigt holds the top spot in the statistics and is in 10th place in the World Cup, France Jean Richard is the third most accurate shooter and seventh in the overall cup, i.e. behind the Finn.
Based on the statistics, Minkkinen has also managed to slightly improve his shooting speed in the previous three seasons.
He was the 12th fastest shooter last season. This season the place is 14th.
A huge leap forward in skiing
The most relevant statistic for Minkkinen can be found in the ski times. In that, Minkkinen’s development has been huge compared to the last seasons.
Before this season, Minkkinen was one of the weaker skiers in the World Cup.
In the 2020–2021 season, he was ranked 89th in skiing speed, and during a couple of seasons he didn’t manage to improve his ranking much.
In the past, Minkki could be described as a sprint skier type, for whom longer distances and especially hard climbs have produced challenges.
Minkkinen invested a lot in skiing this season. Minkkinen told Urheilu during the season that he spent a total of three months in the mountains.
Read more: Biathlonist Suvi Minkkinen took a big risk – “I’m proud that I dared to go and do this”
Taking the risk has clearly paid off.
This season, Minkkinen has entered the top 30 skiers. He is currently ranked 26th purely based on ski speed. Minkkinen’s skiing speed has been better than, for example With Hanna Öberg and With Lisa Hauser.
From Minkkinen’s point of view, the most essential thing is that investing in skiing speed doesn’t seem to have hindered his shooting performance. Accuracy and speed have not suffered, even though the investment has been in developing endurance.
– In the 2021–2022 season, Minkkinen’s shooting percentage increased and his shooting speed has also been good for a few years. Minkkinen has managed to maintain the skill level that has already been practiced before, Kotikumpu emphasizes.
The World Cup starts in about a month in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Athletes try to aim for their peak fitness there.
Based on ten individual World Cup competitions, Minkkinen’s skiing condition will hardly decline badly without illness. However, it would also be surprising if the gap narrowed even further to the top.
When Minkkinen finished eighth in the 2023 World Championships, he shot down all the boards, but in the skiing pace he was one minute behind the leader.
On a normal trip, a missed shot adds a minute to the remaining time. That’s where good shooters have the best chance of success.
With this skiing condition, Minkkinen will be on pace for a medal at the World Championships if he is capable of a similar shooting performance.