Finally! Finnish champion Anni Alakoski beamed: “It doesn’t matter at all that we are superior” | Sport

Anni Alakoski, 26, moved to the Kainuu Ski Club five years ago and has since then been closely hunting for the adult Finnish championship. Already in 2020, he achieved Anne Kyllönen with SM bronze in the pair relay, and the pair sled has since won silver as well. However, there has been a lack of gold, at least in Alakoski, because Kyllönen has several of them.

In the pairs sprint of the Vantaa Ski Championships, the first pair of the Kainuu Skiing Club did not leave it unclear who are this year’s champions. The victory went to Vuokatti Ski Team Kainuu with a difference of no less than 14.23 seconds Vilma Nissinen and Katri Lylynperä.

The winning duo literally radiated happiness after the race.

– It doesn’t matter at all that we are superior! Alakoski laughed after the race.

– It’s actually the best, Kyllönen said with a big smile.

According to the duo, the reason for their superiority was simple. Both had a good day, skis and bodies were in good shape, so the whole was well under control. According to Kyllönen, they took the qualification calmly, skied smartly and saved their strength for the final.

– In the morning, I had the feeling that if everything goes well, that gold could be ours today. We thought in advance that we had to maintain that momentum, and then we tried to implement it, Alakoski said.

Kyllönen believed that they will be able to utilize their best qualities on the long sprint track in Hakunila, as both can ski a long distance at a good speed. The tactic was that both of them would come in for a change from the forward position and if it was possible, then they could make a difference to the rest of the group.

The gap came quite quickly right from the first section of Kyllönen.

– I wondered how there was such a big difference with the first own stroke, but then I thought that we will continue on the same course, Kyllönen said and said that he enjoyed the last lap and that he got to say hello to the cheering crowd at the end.

Anni Alakoski’s SM gold also has the interesting nuance that her mother Anne Alakoski (b. Bishop) won the Finnish championship 50 years earlier. Piispanen skied in the “wrong series” at the Kouvola SC Games and defeated the pre-favorites of the 19-20-year-old series by 5 kilometers when he was only 15 years old. Piispanen had also won the first Hopesompa championship in history two years earlier.

“From love to violet”

A year ago at the Tampere WC, Katri Lylynperä celebrated the WC gold Jasmin Kähärän with in freestyle skiing pair sprint. This year Vulma Nissinen skied the opening leg of Vuokatti Ski Team Kainuu, and the duo won silver.

Lylynperä only skied in Vantaa on Sunday, as the sprinter had skied the 70-kilometer Marcialonga race a week ago. After this, he had fallen ill, so recovery has been at a weak level. Nissinen finished 11th in the sprint, but stopped the 20 km race on Saturday.

The Vuokatti duo would of course have wanted to fight for gold medals, but that would have required full striking ability.

– There is no ability to ski when the body is tired. There was no chance to speed up Kainuu. Of course, a medal is always a medal, but my performance was disappointing, Lylynperä admitted.

– From love to purple (the second color of Vuokatti’s race outfit) we were here on the track today. This was the best duo that got on the track today.

Battle victory for Tossavainen

Also the bronze duo, Ylöjärven Ryhdin Elsa Torvinen and Eevi-Inkeri Tossavainen fell a notch from last year’s WC, but this didn’t bother the duo much.

Tossavainen’s season has been very broken due to illnesses. He knew that a fight for victory like last year, where he lost to Lylynpera by 0.37 seconds, would require more than he was capable of. The silver and bronze battle was more realistic for the duo.

– Yes, that bronze is fine. This was a battle victory above all for myself, said Tossavainen, who stopped Saturday’s 20 km race.

Torvinen said that he tried to get his share of the divorce done, but the others didn’t fall. According to Tossavainen, he and Lylynperä had a clear tactic to ski as quietly as possible for as long as possible and save energy for the final stretch.

Lylynperä was stronger here, but Tossavainen was able to keep the Kainuu Skiing Club’s second team behind him.

– It didn’t feel particularly good when the best stringing ability is missing. Fortunately, my basic level is high enough that I could trust the final score.

Update at 18:30: Added information about Anni Alakoski’s mother’s Finnish championship.