Jon Sallinen is a medal favorite despite a side injury – an exotic experience awaits the freestyle and snowboarding World Cup team

Jon Sallinen, who won the World Cup, is Finland’s top name in the freestyle World Championships held in Georgia. Snowboarders, on the other hand, have the potential to surprise.

The Freestyle and Snowboarding World Championships are shown on channels. At the end of the story, you can find the Finnish team and the schedules.

Finland even has a medal chance at the World Freestyle Championships, which started in Bakuriani, Georgia, on Sunday. Freeski calculator Jon Sallinen reached his first World Cup victory in Calgary at the beginning of January and has performed excellent performances otherwise.

Sallinen got a little hit in the side in the Calgary race. A week later, he finished third in the X Games, so the side is not a big problem at least.

There is more than a week until the World Cup halfpipe qualifying.

– He pulled the X Games against minor pain. Local anesthetics are on the way if needed. However, the man is in good shape, head coach Jussi Mononen tells.

In freeski, Finland has a team capable of striking in addition to its canine teeth. Competing in the World Cup for the first full season Teemu Lauronen reached the final in his second race. In addition, many Finns have knocked on the gates of the final.

– Elias Syrjä has returned this season after a long injury layoff. Scrub Koivisto comes directly to the World Cup after the injury. Anni Kärävä and Simo Peltola have also been close to the final place, Mononen lists.

Reliable Järvilehto as the number one name

Bump landing and snowboarding are also held at the same place.

Finland’s national snowboard team will go to the World Championships without its top names from the past years, when both Rene Rinnekangas that Enni Rukajärvi are on the sidelines. Rinnekangas broke his ankle less than a month ago in the World Cup race in Laax.

In snowboarding, Finland competes in Georgia with a team of five athletes. Finnish skiers can be seen in slopestyle and big air. The best performances have been seen this season in big air, where Kalle Järvilehto has reached the World Cup final three times.

– I don’t see any reason why the same trend wouldn’t continue at the World Cup. In the previous race in Calgary, he didn’t make it to the next round, but the skiing looked really promising, manager of the national snowboard team Antti Koskinen says.

Koskinen believes that many Finns have a chance for a place in the final. One such name is Mikko Rehnbergwho was in the slopestyle finals twice last season.

17 years old Telma Särkipaju reached the World Cup final for the first time in December in Edmonton in big Air. He won gold at the European Youth Olympic Festival last year.

– He has had a good debut season. In Laax, he had really good qualifiers and could have been closer to the final places. Let’s point out that he is not yet a familiar face in these circles.

– Also Valtteri Kautose there is potential for surprise, Koskinen adds.

On a maiden voyage into the unknown

Georgia’s Bakuriani is a previously unknown place for both Finnish freeskiers and snowboarders. Mononen predicts the experience will be exotic.

– We are going on a maiden trip to Georgia. We know that a lot of development work has been done there for the performance locations. It looks like what it should look like at the World Cup. The track is very versatile and interesting, Koskinen thinks.

Koskinen says that local people have a strong desire to improve the country’s ski resort tourism.

– That’s why they got these World Cups. Nice to see it. What I personally know about Georgia is that there is good terrain for free skiing.

The Freestyle and Snowboarding World Championships are shown on channels. Below is the Finnish team and the schedules.