The Salpausselkä races can be seen on channels throughout the weekend. The first broadcast starts on Friday at 10:55 on TV2 and Areena.
A new points system has been used in the Skiing World Cup this season. Instead of the top 30, this season the World Cup points have been distributed to the top 50. In addition, the importance of the podium finish has decreased.
Even before the start of the season, Finland’s top skiers did not like the reform, because it meant an increase in the number of competitions. For example Iivo Niskanen stated that among the three you can only ski as much as possible.
Kerttu Niskanen has contracted all normal distance races this season and after the World Championships also sprint races. The Finn has missed only four individual races this season.
Kerttu Niskanen was also critical of the point reform and is still ahead of Lahti’s decision-making process.
– The same thoughts are still there. The more you ski, the better you are, Niskanen stated.
Niskanen said that without the overall cup, he would not have skied as many sprints as he has seen now. Suomalaištahti is firmly in third place.
He reminded that, for example, the one who finished second in the overall race Jessie Diggins has only missed one race this season.
– I have given a head start, but I didn’t know from the beginning of winter how it would go.
Urheilu also calculated that Kerttu Niskanen, who leads the distance cup, is one of those who benefited from the points reform due to his contracting.
International skiing stars, like Finland’s top names, are in favor of the old point system.
– I like the old model a little more. Especially when it emphasizes podium finishers more. As an example, Iivo. He was unable to ski on the first World Cup weekend. Then we haven’t seen much of him this season. The old system would certainly help him, the Norwegian superstar Johannes Hösflot Kläbo describes.
Iivo Niskanen got sick with corona right before the start of the season, and he had time to state in connection with the World Cup in Ruka that the World Cup season immediately went to waste.
However, Kläbo also says that the points system has not mattered to him. However, at the Lillehammer World Cup in early December, Kläbo stated that he had already given up on the overall cup (you will switch to another service). Sick Kläbo had to miss several races and believed that the battle for victory was over.
Now, however, Kläbo has the overall cup victory in his hands.
He holds the men’s record in one season, i.e. 18 wins. In Lahti, Kläbo still has a chance to break the all-time record. It’s in its name Therese Johaug 20 with his win.
– Because of the new point system, I thought it would be pretty rough. I lost 300 points really early. I thought I would have trouble. But it’s been a good season. I have stayed healthy and stayed fit. The season has been really good for me, says Kläbo.
Despite the peak season, the Italian star would take a model from the neighboring sport
Italian Federico Pellegrino is tied for his career-best overall finish as he sits third. However, Pellegrino has calculated that there could be another one with the old system, i.e. Norway By Pål Golberg above.
Even Pellegrino is apparently not satisfied with the new points system.
– The goal of the new points system was to get the strongest to compete as much as possible. We have seen that Kläbo and Golberg have almost competed in all the individual races. If this was the goal, it has been successful, says Pellegrino.
According to the Italian, the old system was better when it emphasized more podium places.
– The new point system is not the most perfect and fair way to give points. The premium seats should be more valuable, says Pellegrino.
Pellegrino, who has become known as a sprint cannon, has grabbed two podium places this season also on normal distances. The Italian would like to see the new point system of the International Biathlon Union IBU in cross-country skiing in the future.
The Biathlon World Cup used a points system for a long time, where the two weakest results were removed from the total points. For this season, the system was changed so that all rankings are included in the total points.
Doesn’t automatically bring competitors
The new points system has not always increased competitors either. In mid-December, there was a stir in Davos when there were only 39 competitors in the women’s sprint. So all participants got to the World Cup points.
With the current point system, the last person in the competition received 12 World Cup points by skiing to the finish line. Last year, in order to get these 12 points, you had to finish 19th, that is, reach the heat stage, and not be among the last in the heat.
Then Jasmi Joensuu took a strong stand on the points reform on social media. Even now, he flags for the old points system.
– I myself have five or six sprint races left, but there have been good results. The average value is around 15th place. But since the games have been missed, the ranking has dropped down in the sprint cup, Joensuu, who is in 18th place in the sprint cup, stated.
Joensuu reminds that despite the incentive caused by the point system, there are still a lot of competitions.
– There are simply too many competitions. Every race trip is also an expensive arrangement, Joensuu stresses.