Iivo Niskanen would have liked to change skis in the middle of the pairs sprint of the Vantaa SC Games, but the TD of the competition Jukka Lehtinen denied the change citing the rules.
On Sunday, in the pairs sprint of the Vantaa WC, the heated exchange of words between the three-time Olympic champion was captured on TV Iivo Niskanen and the technical expert of the race, TD Jukka Lehtinen between.
Lehtinen didn’t let Niskanen change into fresh skis underneath, which apparently upset Niska.
Niskanen claimed after the race that he was informed that he could change skis during the race, which is why he left his better pair of skis waiting for a change.
– It’s not exactly an organizer on the map when the rules change in the middle of the race, Niskanen lamented in a TV interview on Sunday.
However, the rules are clear. Only one ski can be left in the qualifying in case there is an equipment failure in the race, confirms Lehtinen, who forbade the exchange of skis from Niskas.
Lehtinen’s task in the role of TD is to ensure that the competitions are carried out as required by the rules.
– Iivo was quite warm. He said he would leave the race here, says Lehtinen.
However, Niskanen skied to the end and anchored the Puijo Ski Association to the bronze, which was shared by his partner Valtteri Pennanen with.
The rule is valid from 2021
According to Lehtinen, the rule has been in force at the WC since the 2021 games in Pyhäjärvi. At that time, Puijon Skiing Club celebrated the pair sprint SM gold, precisely with Niskanen and Perttu Hyvärinen with force.
In Vantaa, the rule was announced through field announcements, and it has been possible to get more information about it, for example, at the team managers’ meeting.
Lehtinen has discussed the incident with a member of the judges’ council, who instructed Niska to change skis before the competition.
According to Lehtinen, the person was aware of the related rule and that the possibility of changing skis has been communicated consistently.
– One member of the Judges’ Council was on duty at the pen when Iivo came to visit and asked what that was. The member of the judging council said that this is the kind of ski box where you can deliver a ski. At that point, Iivo had hit his skis on his leg, and the member of the judging council was no longer sure if Iivo heard the instructions to the end. That the ski can be replaced by the broken one, Lehtinen explains the situation.
– Iivo got to the point in the final stages that he was probably in a hurry. He started yelling at his ski guardian Mika from Russia to pick up a pair of skis, which he then delivered to the fence. It could be that there has been a misunderstanding here, when you haven’t listened to the matter until the end.
According to Lehtinen, the subject has not been discussed with Niskanen after the race.
Niskanen and Valtteri Pennanen were 19.52 seconds behind Jämin Jänte, who won the WC gold in Vantaa, Cross mat from Hakola and Lauri Vuoristen.