Sports expert Toni Roponen considered Niskanen’s final bet at the 15 kilometers of the Salpausselä race “insane”. Next weekend at Holmenkollen, Niskanen’s very challenger will not be found in the starting line but in the circumstances.
Ruka, Lenzerheide, Beijing and Lahti. They are places where Iivo Niskanen has won 15 kilometers of traditional skiing in the last three months.
On Sunday in Lahti, the demanding Finnish audience expected nothing more than a victory from a Finnish star – after all, this was just a couple of weeks ago winning gold on the same trip to the Beijing Olympics in a superior style.
– This was a cherry on the cake for Niskane. Although the main events, ie the Olympics, are already over, Niskanen himself wanted to offer Finns a victory. After all, people in particular have come to see him at the Salpausselä Games, says Sport’s expert Toni Roponen.
– Niskanen has proven to be a superior traditional skier in the world at the moment, Roponen says.
The three brightest stars of the Finnish cross – country team, Iivo and Kerttu Niskanen mixed Krista Pärmäkoski were a great success. Beijing Olympic bronze medalist Pärmäkoski finished third in the women’s 10 kilometers in Norway Therese Johaugin and Russia Natalya Nepryaeva after.
Kerttu Niskanen, who won Olympic silver on the same trip, was fourth in Lahti.
– The women who were also in the top four at the Olympics were also in the top four here. All three Finnish artillery athletes did well, Roponen says.
Roponen: “Niskanen kept pace at the end”
In an interview with after the race, Iivo Niskanen revealed that it was difficult for him to dig up the charge right after the Olympic successes. He noted that thanks to the loud support of the home audience, he was able to put himself in a tight spot and keep up the pace.
Niskanen made it very exciting to watch the competition. At 11.5-kilometer intervals, he was third, but only 1.5 seconds behind Norway Johannes Hösflot Kläboa after.
Two kilometers later, at 13.7 kilometers, the Finn had torn the difference to another 13 seconds. In the finish, Niskanen was the fastest with a difference of 17.6 seconds to Kläbo.
– In the last four kilometers, Iivo was able to maintain a completely insane pace. He clearly wanted to make sure in the beginning that he was not going too fast. After the Olympics, everyone is tired and the start is too hard, Roponen says.
– This kind of final bet is only possible for the best athletes in the world. The same type of expenditure was seen From Alexander Bolshunov in the Olympic combined race, Roponen says.
In Lahti, Bolshunov was still right in Niskanen’s position at 11.5-kilometer intervals, but eventually finished fifth, 24.4 seconds behind Niskanen.
Roponen could not say such a clear reason why Bolshunov could not challenge the top in Lahti. At the Beijing Olympic Games, the Russian star proved to be in fierce condition, achieving as many as three golds, silver and bronze.
– He was a bit tame, or that is a bit relative, Roponen chuckled.
In addition to Iivo Niskanen’s victory, Roposta was delighted Ristomatti Hakola tenth place. Hakola’s season has been full of misfortune. In the opening cup of the World Cup in Ruka, he fell and broke his ribs.
He recovered from the Olympics but fell ill just before his trip to Beijing. The Olympics were disappointing, both from 15 kilometers and as an opener.
– This was a showcase for Hakola in front of a demanding Finnish audience that he is not as bad as he was at the Olympics. The spring races after the value races have more symbolic significance and this was an important success for Hakola.
Niskanen as the number one favorite for Holmenkollen
Iivo Niskanen will leave the excellent situation for the Oslo World Cup next weekend. Holmenkollen races a 50-kilometer royal trip in traditional skiing as a joint start.
Niskanen has often said that one of his goals is to win at Holmenkollen.
– That is an important goal. Holmenkollen is one of the finest and most legendary places to go skiing in your fifties. It offers a new challenge when there is a co-start race. We have to think about a new tactic so that the skiing in the joint start does not go too slow, Niskanen said after winning the Salpausselä race.
In 2017, Iivo Niskanen was second on Holmenkollen’s kingship. Toni Roponen is considered the number one favorite by Finns this year.
– It is really hard to beat Iivo Niska with Holmenkollen. I think his worst opponent is the circumstances. He needs to be able to drop others and tear up the difference during the journey. It depends on the weather. The slopes can pile up skiers, Roponen says.
The last time a Finnish skier has won at Holmenkollen 15 years ago was when Aino-Kaisa Saarinen was number one in the women’s 30 miles. The previous Finnish winner is in the fifty men Harri Kirvesniemiwhich won in 2000.
Saarinen, who currently works as an expert in Sports, evaluates Niskanen’s opportunities at Holmenkollen Sports Center.
– The signs are good. Iivo is still in good shape and it seems that there is enough desire to go. It is hoped that he will be able to shake hands with the king and even talk about skiing, Saarinen said.