from the Finnish national team Kerttu Niskanen is one of the World Cup’s ravagers and has missed only three World Cup competitions this season. Two of these were relay races.
Perttu Hyvärinen once again, he has worked on normal trips and in posts, but did not participate in the World Cup in Sweden.
The duo’s absence from the Vantaa SC skiing attracted criticism, but also gained understanding. In the absence of the national team’s head coach, the value of the championships is not included Teemu Pasanen I don’t think it matters.
– Almost always someone is absent, regardless of the time of the competition. The situation is the same in international competitions. The best of those who are there will win, and he will then be the champion of Finland, Pasanen said.
Urheilu’s expert also agrees Ville Nousiainen. He reminded that the best distances are not always available for skiers in the SC Games, and even in the Vantaa Games, the effect of Niskanen’s and Hyvärinen’s absences was mainly seen in the 20-kilometer traditional skiing race.
– Illnesses occur from time to time and absences as a result. However, a large number of national team athletes were involved, including the best sprinters in freestyle, Nousiainen said.
There are heavy absences almost every time at the January-February WC, so there has been a discussion about whether the timing is right. The equation of the World Cup’s bloated calendar, training time and SC skiing is pretty much impossible.
– For national team skiers, the optimal time for the SC would be in the spring, when the season is over. Then everyone would ski. That, in turn, would leave the national skiers empty in the middle of winter, Pasanen thought on the closing day of the Vantaa SC skis.
On the same line as Pasanen from time to time is the recent Finnish champion of the 20 km traditional skiing style Johanna Matintalo.
He understands Niskanen’s and Hyvärinen’s decision to stay out of the WC, even though the athletes’ contract obliges them to participate.
– In my opinion, the WC should not be held at this time. It is not optimal for athletes touring the World Cup. I would like us to follow the Swedish model more. Let’s go skiing in the spring for quite a few weekends in a row, Matintalo said.
Kyllönen: National team athletes should adapt
Instead, Ville Nousiainen and the recent Finnish champion of pair sprint Anne Kyllönen would keep the championships in place.
In Nousiainen’s opinion, skiing is of a different level of interest in the middle of winter than in spring, and both are worried about the tough competitions of national-level skiers in the middle of winter, if the SC skiing were to be moved.
– It is important that there are systematically tough competitions for national skiers every month and that the best get to ski against each other. That’s how they develop, skiing stays in the frame all the time and young people can get excited about skiing, Nousiainen said.
– It should preferably be that the national team athletes adapt to the situation and ski as much as possible, Kyllönen said.
According to Pasanen, a good option would be to go back to the time when the World Championship was held at the same time as the World Cup weekend. At that time, the best skiers could choose the World Cup or the World Championships.
– In many other countries it is done this way, and they are still tough competitions, Pasanen said and got support for the idea from Anne Kyllö.
– However, there are always athletes in the national team who do not make it to the World Cup. They will then come to the WC. At the same time, it would open up opportunities for young people to stand out in the SC games.
An overly intense competition calendar eats away at the level and interest
This year, the Skiing World Cup calendar has 38 competitions and 15 competition locations. And we’re not just talking about race weekends anymore, because if the Tour de Ski is left out of the calculations, in seven race weekends races were or will be raced already on Friday.
– When the races start on Friday, that means leaving on Wednesday. We return home on Monday, so Tuesday is time to be at home, do one training and then go to the World Cup again. That is, the athlete has one day a week when he has time to train. Otherwise, it is preparation for the competition, explained Nousiainen.
Both Pasanen and Nousiainen are of the opinion that the World Cup calendar is getting too busy. Both would like free weekends in the calendar, when the skiers could recover and train. Otherwise, tired skiers compete from one race to the next, and it lowers the level of the competitions.
– It would increase the interest when skiing competitions where all the best are really there and all the best are in the best shape. Everyone would be able to ski at a top level, and not go through the cracks, Nousiainen said.
Anne Kyllönen is known as a skier who likes to compete a lot. He was on completely different lines with Nousiainen and Pasanen.
– Not a single race off that race calendar! he laughed.