Iivo Niskanen, who visited the sports studio as a guest, believes that there is enough time for the World Championships in Planica. Finland’s top skier’s early season was cut short because of the corona virus.
Joel Sippola,
Petra Manner
16:40•Updated 16:45
Chosen as Sportsman of the Year for the fourth time Iivo Niskanen visited Urheilustudio via Skype on Saturday. The swimmer chosen as the athlete of 2021 Matti Mattsson started a new tradition at the Sports Gala on Thursday and handed the star skier a baton with a hidden message.
However, Niskanen, who presented Kapula on Saturday’s TV broadcast, was not aware that the letter was inside Kapula.
– Wait, it was in here! I didn’t even realize that this could be opened. In fact, I haven’t read it yet, because I didn’t know where the message was put, Niskanen was amazed.
Niskanen planned to read the message as a bedtime story to his firstborn.
Niskanen gave a speech for a few minutes at the Sports Gala. The three-time Olympic champion finds it painful to listen to his own speech on tape.
– I don’t like to listen to or read my own interviews. Of course, interviews are given, but I don’t like to look at myself afterwards.
Niskanen can be a viable candidate for Athlete of the Year this year as well. The main goal of the 31-year-old athlete’s season is the traditional 50-kilometer race at the World Championships in Planica.
Will this happen so that next year you write yourself a message?
– Of course you have to ski hard so that the World Championship gold would be enough for the selection. Finnish sports are doing really well at the moment, so the next gala will certainly be tight. I hope that I would be able to do normal skiing performances in the next competitions and especially in the value competitions, Niskanen referred to the World Championships in Planica.
National team rookie as tight end
Niskanen will next compete in the Tampere Skiing Championships next weekend.
– The weather looks quite challenging. I hope to be able to ski and compete on good tracks in Tampere, he states.
Niskanen, who fell ill with the corona virus in November, opened his international competition season at the turn of the year with the Tour de Ski, where he participated in three trips. Niskanen skied promisingly in the traditional pursuit race, but he had to stop in the traditional intermediate start race in Oberstdorf.
– I was in good shape when I left for the Tour. Ober had everything wrong. It wasn’t a normal run that day. A pointless trip, but I’m not worried about my own condition, Niskanen sees.
Today Niskanen skied Arsi Ruuskanen with as a training race at the skiathlon in Puijo, Kuopio. Ruuskanen is an excellent gauge, as the national team’s yellow beak finished eighth in the 20 kilometer free intermediate start race in December.
There is only a month and a half until the World Championships in Planica. Niskanen believes that it is the necessary time to get in top shape.
– Yes, there is enough time. It won’t cause any problems.