Ahead of the relay, Finnish superstar Iivo Niskanen posted a humorous image on Instagram, a montage of the poster for the 1987 film “Three Men and a Baby”.
The men were himself, Ristomatti Hakola and Perttu Hyvärinen, all 31 years old. The “baby” in question is called Niko Anttola, the 20-year-old who was given the heavy responsibility of driving Finland’s final stretch.
And as he did it.
Praised by teammates
When Anttola took to the tracks as Finland’s youngest relay finisher of all time, his teammates had given him prime silver position. But 30 seconds behind chased Sweden, France, Germany and Canada.
However, the youngster was never close to losing the silver and secured Finland’s first medal in the men’s relay since 2009. And only the second this millennium.
“A brilliant effort,” says Niskanen about Anttola’s finish.
— Before the WC, no one talked about him running the baton. But he has earned the place here during the WC. We told him last night that we are used to losing medals, and that there was nothing to lose.
There was nothing to do for Norway. The big gold favorite basically decided the relay before four minutes had passed, when Hans Christer Holund broke the field. Then it was a transport stretch to the gold for Pål Golberg, Simen Hegstad Krüger and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.
There behind, the Finns impressed, and not least Iivo Niskanen. After Ristomatti Hakola’s stable first leg, Niskanen split the field (behind Norway), sending Perttu Hyvärinen away almost 40 seconds ahead of the others.
Hyvärinen then ensured that the blue-white silver grip was strong even into the final stretch, whereupon Anttola tied the sack.
— This is big. It’s so much fun to get a medal with these guys, and also to get our “little brother” in it. Everyone had a really good day and we had great skiing. Today everything worked. It’s not just a medal either, it’s a silver. It’s a big deal, says Hyvärinen
“A race in the crowd”
Certainly there were nerves before the final stretch, admits successful man Niko Anttola. But not much more than usual.
— There is no point in stressing yourself out in such a situation. I had everything under control. I’ve done a lot of freestyle 10km races in the past. This is just one of many, says Anttola.
— But of course I’m satisfied and it’s a great feeling that I managed to perform in such a tough situation.
Gold medalists Norway were of course also delighted after winning by the biggest margin of victory, 46.9 seconds, in a men’s relay since 1997.
– It is wonderful. We are a fantastic team of riders, leaders and herders who make this possible. It’s a big day. Relay is special, says Pål Golberg after Norway’s fifth gold out of five possible on the men’s side in Planica.