Iivo Niskanen has a great final draw! Olympic winner repeated his trick in Lahti in front of the home crowd – “It was hard to dig up the charge”

Iivo Niskanen continued where he left off in Beijing. At the Olympics, Niskanen won the 15-kilometer traditional interim start race and now repeated his trick in Lahti in front of an exemplary home crowd.

And Niskanen won the 2017 World Cup gold in Salpausselä.

For a long time, the race seemed to be a real second game, but Niskanen had shared his strength perfectly. After the race, Niskanen wondered if he was going to step up his pace too late.

Did not leave, because in the end Niskanen won Norway Johannes Hösflot Kläbon 17.6 seconds. Swedish William Poromaa was a race surprise. Reindeer was third, losing 0.4 seconds to Kläbo.

The Russians were fourth and fifth Alexei Chervotkin (+22.0) and Alexander Bolshunov (+24.4).

At a break point of 3.7 kilometers, Bolshunov held the top spot before Niska and Chervotkin.

The smoothness of the race – before Niskanen’s drastic final crunch – is indicated by the fact that, for example, in the 6.5 km interval, the top eight were within 6.9 seconds. Norway took the lead Martin Löwström Nyenget before Ilja SemikoviaNeck and Bolshunov.

Kläbo, who started as the last skier in the race, was able to enjoy the nest of Niskanen, who was on a different lap. At some point, Niskanen still reached Kläbo and contented himself with skiing before tightening his pace again.

The peso benefit that Kläbo received was reflected, for example, in the fact that in 8.7 kilometers the Norwegian led before Löwström and Bolshunov. At this point, Niskanen was only sixth, 8.8 seconds behind Kläbo.

At an interval of 11.5 kilometers, the tip was still completely piled up, and the second battle continued. Kläbo led Reindeer in 0.9 seconds, Niskane in 1.5 seconds and Bolshunov in 2.1 seconds.

At 13.7 kilometers, it was then seen how Niskanen had shared his power. The Finn led 13 seconds ahead of Poromaa and his partners. In the end, Kläbo was able to get past Poromaa, but Niskanen’s gap only increased.

For 21-year-old Poromaa, the ranking on the podium is the first in the world at the World Cup level.

Iivo Niskanen has the amazing Olympics behind him, of which the medals are straight, and the rotation in Finland afterwards. He returned from Beijing just over a week ago on Friday, after which the program included a folk festival in Vieremä. In Niskaste ‘s hometown Iivo and Kerttu Niskasen a total of five Olympic medals.

After the race, Niskanen admitted in an interview that he had even wondered if it made sense to “go to Lahti to go tuning”. However, the encouragement of the home audience boosted the mood to a sufficient level.

– I was a little nervous, tense. Tight schedule, and has not been the easiest return. After such peak performance (at the Olympics) it’s a little hard to dig that last charge. And it wasn’t there today, but of course it’s nice to come skiing in front of the home crowd. In the rehearsal, I noticed that although I have not been able to do preparatory training, I can ski in front of such an audience, Niskanen told Sport.

Niskanen said that the knowledge in the body is surprisingly good now after the race.

– Of course, if there had been a worse result today, it could be a different feeling. Maybe this brightened thoughts. Now you will be able to enjoy sports and work to some extent again, when you get to the time differences and calm down for a while and focus on Holmenkollen.

In a week’s time on Sunday, Holmenkollen will race 50 kilometers. It is skied in the traditional way, which is better for Niskanen, but as a joint starting race. Niskanen has often spoken of his goal to one day win the “Kollen” kingship.

– That is an important goal. Without a doubt, all the races you want to win, which you take part in, but Holmenkollen is one of the finest and most legendary places where you can ski in your fifties. It offers a new challenge when there is a co-start race. I have won these traditional races four times this season in the interim start. One has to think about a new tactic so that the skiing in the joint start does not go too slow.

– But let’s get back first and try to catch up with the rhythm of sleep and be in some sort of proper Holmenkollen.

Niskanen was also asked if the Lahti audience likened Holmenkollen’s drug. Niskanen offered a rather colorful answer to that, but then he got serious.

– Yes. This was a sports audience. There wasn’t exactly the same pattern with the liquor here, and no one was throwing caps on the track. We were well received by the athletes. It was a great atmosphere and the encouragement was awesome.

– It’s great that sports can offer great moments in times like these. Hard times by the way, but maybe for a while we got to forget and enjoy the winter sports.

Cross mat for Hakola the race was certainly a relief after all the difficulties and injuries of the season. He was 10th in the race (+1.01.4). Perttu Hyvärinen was 13th (+1.05.8).

A total of six Finns reached World Cup points when Ville Ahonen was 22th (+1.42.6), Lauri Vuorinen 27: s (+1.54.6) and Markus Vuorela 28: s (+1.55.5).

In addition, 19 years old Niko Anttola made his debut at the World Cup, ranking 37th (+2.27.7). Anttola skied earlier this week in Lygna, Norway, in the traditional silver in the 10-kilometer interim start of the World Championships under 20.

At the Olympics, Hakola was 28th in 15 kilometers and lost to Niskanen for almost three minutes. That’s when he described skiing as the biggest disappointment of his career. So now place ten and the difference to the top of the minute.

– In the last round, I thought that I was not as miserable as I should have been at the Olympics. It only takes a few loops at home, so you get the pieces in place. I thought it would be nice to ski hard again, Hakola said after the race.

He admitted that going to the race was exciting when his own vibe has been so bad in the search.

– There is a lack of self-confidence when there was such a miserable performance. Feeling a little, I left when I didn’t know what pace I could handle.

– The audience’s encouragement was such that I don’t remember my own career. The ascent of the hill jumping behind it, it was icy, a little laughed in the first round, Hakola joined the ranks of those who praised the audience over the weekend.