Iivo Niskanen’s journey of success disappears from the World Cup calendar – this is how the change affects Finns: “Sprint features do better”

There was big news about international cross-country skiing on Wednesday when the International Ski Federation (FIS) decided that men and women would compete in the World Cup on the same distance in the future. The reform will take effect immediately next World Cup. The decisions still require the approval of the FIS Council.

– The cross-country skiing committee has made a decision. In general, reforms have gone through. I think it’s time to go skiing in the World Cup next winter, the head coach of the Finnish cross-country team Teemu Pasanen notes.

Next winter’s Planica World Championships will be skiing according to the old formula. The situation at the upcoming World Cup will be reviewed again in the spring of 2023.

In the World Cup, next season’s trips are 10 kilometers, 20 kilometers, 50 kilometers and 20 kilometers combined race (traditional + free). Intermediate races will generally be 10 kilometers and joint starts 20 kilometers.

Pasanen thinks it’s a little surprising that the decisions are coming into effect right now. He thinks the changes will have an impact on the Games.

– The distance is shorter for men and longer for women. Women are required to have more endurance qualities and men are required to gain more momentum, Pasanen says.

Sport’s ski expert Kalle Lassila welcomes the reform. Trips of the same length for men and women are commonplace, for example in athletics and swimming.

– Cross-country skiing is one of the most equal sports in top sports. Now we wanted to take the latest steps in making the species really equal. From that point of view, this was an expected and hugely good decision.

Although the changes seem to have the biggest change, especially for women’s races, Lassila reminds that the changes also affect men’s races. In the men, 15 kilometers has previously been a regular distance in the intermediate and joint start races.

– On the men’s side, journeys are slightly shortened. I think there are a lot of people in the ski people who don’t like it. It takes the basic nature of endurance cross-country skiing in a faster pace, Lassila sees.

In the traditional way of skiing, 15 kilometers of skiing as a temporary start is To Iivo Niskanen a very successful journey. He has won Olympic gold, the World Championships and several World Cup competitions on that trip.

Pasanen sees that the change may affect Niskanen’s chances of success. He points out the importance of the terrain.

– Ten kilometers is a hard oxygen intake when there is a hard track. Then skiing with the same features as 15 kilometers. It has an effect in the case of an easy ski run. Ten kilometers when there is a very short distance in time for men. That’s when the sprint properties do better, Pasanen says.

Lassila believes that the reforms will not shake the balance of power dramatically.

– In the case of the 10-kilometer and 15-kilometer races, in practice the characteristics and power ratios remain the same in both. One who wins 15 kilometers is very likely to win by ten as well.

Who then favors the reform? Lassila does not highlight one particular athlete. Instead, she sees women competing in marathon rides like Ski Classic may well participate in the 50-kilometer World Cup. Through this, a whole new face in the top three can be seen in the World Cup.

– Athletes who can be surprisingly high can enter the 50-kilometer race from the Ski Classic side.

Lassila believes that on the women’s side, the reforms will favor hard-experienced types of endurance, Kerttu Niska and Krista Pärmäkoskea. And who on the men’s side could benefit from shorter journeys?

– I’d raise Ristomatti Hakola name. When 15 kilometers fall into the top ten, it could be the last straw in the ocean that will lift Hakola from top10 to top5 on a good day.

Lassila is especially looking forward to the women’s 50-kilometer race. The challenge for women in 50 kilometers has been that the differences are tearing even further. The duration of the competition will increase, which may not be optimal for TV companies.

Lassila is aware of the potential problem, but she points out that 50 kilometers for women can be great TV entertainment like a men’s race.

– Whenever men ski 50 kilometers, it is a really special race. There may be elements in the women’s 50 mile race that are negative even from a television perspective. However, I think that seeing when women start to break properly like men wins 100-0 in terms of interest, Lassila believes.