Finland’s first team was in the top two in the second leg of Beitostölen’s mixed relay, but Norway’s Martin Löwström Nyengeti the bet was too much Perttu Hyvärinen. He cramped and completely froze just under two kilometers before the change.
– Yes, it was quite an honest final death. For a long time, but not long enough I came [Nyengetin perässä]. Just a decent ending to that. That was it, Hyvärinen stated.
This season, 10 kilometers instead of 15 kilometers became the new distance to the World Cup for men. After Saturday’s race, Hyvärinen stated that he thinks the tenth is harder, because it doesn’t feel bad for so long. In Sunday’s relay, both men and women skied 5 kilometers.
– A shorter trip would have been fine, Hyvärinen said.
Other Finns also had problems during the relay, but mainly because they had to chase others. The winner of Saturday’s 10 km traditional skiing race Kerttu Niskanen had to enter the third, free stage, about 22 seconds behind the chasing position.
– I tried to do everything on my own. Of course, I had to open too hard, and it backfired at the end. Keula skied relaxed at the beginning and hard at the end, I had to do the other way around, Niskanen said.
Skied the third stage in Finland’s second team Jasmi Joensuu also admitted that he fell into too fast an initial pace.
– The first kilometer was definitely the fastest, nobody skied that hard. Everything was left on the track. I totally died, but that’s what happens if you start too hard with Vitose, he laughed.
– But you have to try it in these rough places. You can’t stay there alone and sulk.
Although the Norwegian cold did not affect the results of the competition, it did Joni Mäen especially when you had to give chase.
– At first I didn’t notice how hard I started. I noticed after a couple of kilometers that oops, now it was going a little hard. Acid started to come, and when it comes, it comes quite hard in this kind of weather, Mäki said.
A versatile and lively message
The medley relay was reintroduced to the World Cup program last season after a break of almost 20 years. Where previously women skied 5 kilometers and men 10 kilometers, now everyone skis a distance of 5 kilometers.
Last spring there was free skiing in Falun. Then Finland was second in the competition. Now we skied in the familiar order of the regular relay: two traditional and two free sections. The change suited the Finnish skiers well.
– Quite a versatile and exciting message. Even though there was a separation on the butt, the situations changed on the free, Joensuu said.
The head coach of the national skiing team also had the same opinion Teemu Pasanen.
– I don’t know which one is better, because both were really interesting messages and the situations changed. It was such a flashy message that you don’t really know how it will turn out and who will win it. They have been good competitions, Pasanen said.
Beitostölen, Norway – Mixed message
1. Norway 2 54.04,0
2. Norway 1 +5.5
3. Sweden 1 +6.5
4. Finland 1 +45.5
Johanna Matintalo, Perttu Hyvärinen, Kerttu Niskanen, Joni Mäki
5. France +47.9
6. Finland 2 +1.06,6
Anne Kyllönen, Markus Vuorela, Jasmi Joensuu, Remi Lindholm
17 teams participated in the mixed relay, five of which were second teams.