Iivo Niskanen is making Finnish skiing history this weekend. He wins the Distance Cup. The matter became clear when the Norwegian ski star Johannes Hösflot Kläbo withdrew from the World Cup closing weekend in Falun, Sweden.
Falun still has the last normal trip of the season on Saturday, when the 15-kilometer interim race is competed in free-skiing.
Kläbo would have been Niskanen’s only threat in the distance cup victory, as the second Russian Alexander Bolshunov may not compete in Falun because of the Russia collar set by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
In principle, Kläbo would still have had the opportunity to get past Niskanen in Falun, because he is 54 points behind the Finn. A maximum of 100 points would be offered to the winner of Saturday’s final competition. Even if, for some reason, Niskanen were left without World Cup points on Saturday, the fourth Norwegian Martin Löwström Nyenget can no longer reach a Finn.
Niskanen’s cup victory is historic in the sense that no Finnish male skier has won the current distance cup before. It has been skied since 2003-2004.
In the period 1999–2000, a cup for medium distances and a cup for long distances were held separately. Then Jari Isometsä was number one in the Middle Distance Cup.
Before that, three seasons were competed in a race known only as the Long Distance Cup. Mika Myllylä won the Long Distance Cup in the 1996-1997 season and finished third in the next two seasons.
In the 2019–2020 season, Iivo Niskanen was third in the distance cup between Bolshunov and Norway. Sjur Röthen double cloth. He has reached the top three of the other Finns in the distance cup Matti Heikkinenwhich was the third in the 2016-2017 period.
Even more Finnish celebrations in the overall cup?
There is no threat behind Niskanen, for Norway is fourth Erik Valnes is on the sidelines of the Falun Games. Like Kläbo, Valnes was diagnosed with a corona infection after the Salpausselä World Cup.
Fifth in France Richard Jouve may reach Niskanen, but the possibility is largely theoretical. Jouve should score 205 points for Niska.
On Falun’s closing weekend, one skier can score up to 215 points if he wins both the actual race and Saturday’s regular trip on Friday.
Reaching the top three in the overall cross-country World Cup competition is rare for a Finnish male skier. Last time he was able to do the same Jari Isometsä during the period 1999-2000. The big forest was second in Spain at the time Johann Mühleggin double cloth.
In addition to Isometsä, only three of the Finnish men’s skiers in the overall cup have reached Mika Myllylä and Harri Kirvesniemi. No Finnish male skier has won the official World Cup overall race of the International Ski Federation (FIS). It has been skied since 1981-1982. Won the unofficial overall race Juha Mieto during the periods 1975 to 1976 and 1979 to 1980.
Niskanen has also grabbed the most bonus points this season, a total of 99 in the World Cup.
1. 100 points
2. 80 points
3. 60 points
4. 50 points
5. 45 points
6. 40 points
7. 36 points
8. 32 points
9. 29 points
10. 26 points
11. 24 points
12. 22 points
13. 20 points
14. 18 points
15. 16 points
16. 15 points
17. 14 points
18. 13 points
19. 12 points
20. 11 points
21. 10 points
22. 9 points
23. 8 points
24. 7 points
25. 6 points
26. 5 points
27. 4 points
28. 3 points
29. 2 points
30. 1 point
Additional points can be earned from the sprint qualifiers and the bonus points for the standard distance start events as follows:
1. 15 points
2. 12 points
3. 10 points
4. 8 points
5. 6 points
6. 5 points
7. 4 points
8. 3 points
9. 2 points
10. 1 point
Does Pärmäkoski also reach the top three?
In women, the victory of this season’s overall competition has gone to the Russian Natalia Neprjajevan names. Krista Pärmäkoski is still in the fight for good places behind Nepryaeva. Pärmäkoski is fourth in the overall situation before the final trips.
Pärmäkoski has once in his career in the overall cup among three. He was second in the 2016-2017 season.
Virpi Kuitunen (now Sarasvuo) won the overall cup in the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 seasons. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen is the previous Finnish woman to reach the top three in the overall cup after Pärmäkoski, when Saarinen was third after Kuitunen’s victory years in 2008–2009.
Marjo Matikainen won the World Cup three times in a row in the 1980s (1985-1988). In Matikainen’s last winning season Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi was third.
If Krista Pärmäkoski and Iivo Niskanen both reach the top three in the overall cup, the act is also rare. Only once has a Finnish male and female skier reached the top three in the overall competition in the same season. It happened in 1983–1984, when Harri Kirvesniemi was third and Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi (then Hämäläinen) number one.
Of course, at the end of this season, not all the best skiers have been present due to the war started by Russia in Ukraine and the corona infections of Norwegian male skiers, so it has had an impact on the results of the last races of the season.
In women, the victory in the distance cup has already been grabbed by Norway Therese Johaug, but even in that Cup, Pärmäkoski is still struggling to be ranked among the three in Sweden Frida Karlsson and Ebba Anderssonin with.
Pärmäkoski was third in the distance cup in the 2016–2017 season. In the 21st century, Finns have also made it into the top three in the distance cup Kerttu Niskanen, Kuitunen and Saarinen. Kuitunen was also number one in the distance cup during his winning seasons in the overall cup.
The World Cross Country Cup will end this weekend in Falun, as the International Ski Federation (FIS) canceled the final races from Tyumen next week after Russia invaded Ukraine.
In addition to the traditional ski sprint and free normal rides, Falun competes on Sunday for more special rides: mixed and mixed sprint.
The mixed message has been in the last and only time in the World Cup program in Ruka in 2002. At that time, Finland took a double victory before Italy. Mixed-pair printing is in the program for the first time. Both posts compete in free skiing.
In normal message races, two sections are skied on the traditional and two on the free, but now all four sections go on the free and 5-kilometer distance in the mixed message. As late as 2002, a mixed race was raced, with women skiing five kilometers and men skiing ten kilometers. Mixed races will not earn points for personal World Cup races.
Riiber rises past Manninen?
In addition to the Cross-Country World Cup, the combined World Cup will end this weekend. The last two races will take place in Schonach, Germany.
The winning battle for the overall competition is still becoming a thriller. Norwegian Jarl Magnus Riiber is 19 points behind Austria Johannes Lamparteria. Riiber, who has skipped competition due to a coronavirus infection, has dominated the species in recent years. After the disappointment of the Olympics, Riiber has won all three personal competitions in the World Cup.
The final culmination of the combined World Cup is accompanied by an interesting Finnish feature. Riiber can pass in Schonach Hannu Mannisen number one in all-time World Cup race wins. Riiber has 47 victories when Manninen reached 48th place in his career.
Ilkka Herola is 13th in the overall cup as the best Finn. He has the best skier award in his fingers. Herola has won the award in the previous two seasons as well.
On the women’s side, the second combined World Cup season in history also culminates in Schonach. The World Cup has been ruled by Norway Gyda Westvold Hansen, which has won all six competitions this season. About Finns Annamaija Aries made his debut at the World Cup in Otepää in December and then also grabbed his first World Cup points. Aries does not compete in Schonach.
In the hill jump, the men’s side will be competing this weekend in Vikersund for the World Cup before the last two weekends. A full quartet of Finns is involved: Antti Aalto, Kalle Heikkinen, Niko Kytösaho and Eetu Nousiainen.
The Women’s Jumping World Cup ends with a race weekend at the Oberhof in Germany, as the last two race weekends in Russia were canceled. Of Austria Marita Kramer is nearly 200 points ahead of Slovenia Nika Kriznaria. Julia Kykkänen is 31st and Jenny Rautionaho 41: s.
Seppälä the best Finnish man in 20 years
There are two more competition weekends left in the World Biathlon Cup in Otepää, Estonia, and Holmenkollen, Norway. The Finnish bright spot of the season Tero Seppälä is ranked 13th in the men’s overall competition. Seppälä is on his way to the best performance of a Finnish man in twenty years. The last time Finns have been able to rank harder in the men’s overall competition Vesa Hietalahtiwhich was the ninth in the period 2001-2002.
The overall victory for the competition is currently French Quentin Fillon Maillet’n in the hands of a fellow who has considerable leadership over his countrymen To Emilien Jacquelin. The scooter will change anyway. The previous three times in men grabbed a crystal ball Johannes Thingnes Bö is seventh and has previously announced that it has ended its season at the Beijing Olympics.
Norway also holds first place in the women’s overall cup Marte Olsbu Röiseland also with a big difference from Sweden To Elvira Öberg.
Mari Eder is ranked 29th as the best Finn.
Lots of exciting in alpine skiing
In the Alpine Skiing World Cup, the women’s slalom and slalom will be competed in Åre this weekend in Sweden. The men are fighting in the slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Next week is the final week for all sports in Courchevel, France.
At this point, the women’s and men’s super slalom and women’s slalom cups have been resolved. The victory of the women’s super grand slalom cup has already been confirmed by Italy Federica Brignone and men in Norway Alexander Aamodt Kilde. The women’s slalom cup took Slovakia Petra Vlhova.
The women’s and men’s slalom cup can be decided this weekend. Swedish Sara Hectorilla is 55 points ahead of France Tessa Worley. In men, the Cup is led by Switzerland Marco Odermatt. He already has a lead of 217 points To Manuel Feller and a difference of 227 points To Henrik Kristoffersen. Odermatt can secure a cup victory as early as Saturday before Sunday’s race and next weekend’s final race.
The most interesting situation among the sports is in the men’s slalom, where the pack has been mixed up throughout the season. Eight different winners have been seen in the nine competitions. Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen leads the slalom cup with 38 points ahead of his compatriot Lucas Braathenia.
Above has no television rights to the Falun World Ski Championships or the World Cup. The competitions will be followed in the latest sports and highlights will be seen on ‘s digital services half an hour after the end of the competition.
does not have television rights to all the World Ski Championships, but the majority of them are shown on ‘s channels. 70 percent of the World Cups, the Beijing Olympics and the domestic ski season have been freely watched by Finns.
Television rights to Falun and the World Cup are held by NENT Group and will be shown on Viaplay. A list of the games shown by can be found here.