Puijo Ski Club became the biggest topic of conversation at the Suomen cup weekend in Kuopio Iivo Niskanen and Erä-Veikkoin of Kuusamo Kalle Parantainen showdown after the men’s relay race on Sunday.
According to Urheilu’s information, the two had a verbal altercation in the goal area and Parantainen would have punched Niska. Iltalehten according to Niskanen himself, he would also have confirmed Parantai, which Niskanen strongly denied later on Sunday on his personal Instagram account. Late on Sunday, Iltalehti corrected its news and removed the allegation of involvement, but said that an eyewitness had noticed that Niskanen had contacted Parantainen.
The dispute between the two started at the end of the anchor section, just over a kilometer before the finish line. Niskanen, who took a 43-second lead from the top group, tried to pass Parantainen, who was ahead, from the left side.
Parantainen, on the other hand, skied to the left at the same time and Niskanen had to switch to the right side.
– The man from Kuusamo jumped in front and started to wedge me to the left. I knew that there was soft air there and a stick went into it and I went to the back of the queue, Niskanen commented to .
Niskanen also stated that Parantainen should not have jumped on skis.
Urheilu’s expert who commented on the race Kalle Lassilan according to what happened on the track was a race situation.
– Parantainen had a good reason to go outside the track, because there was a steep part of the terrain. If there is no traction, he has to go there. When you’re in a relay in the last kilometers, you don’t have to give space, no matter who it is.
Lassila says that she doesn’t have the full truth about what has happened and been said on both sides after the race.
– In the big picture, however, one would hope that Iivo Niskanen, as a great sports legend, would be able to rise above such situations while performing on home turf and in the Finnish Cup. It is understood that in the games we are fully involved and live in the moment.
– However, the situation should not continue any longer than that. I would hope that a great sport legend and icon could be above that situation. Iivo’s sporting credentials are undeniable. However, the use was almost childish and embarrassing. It was a normal competitive situation, says Lassila.
Niskanen later said on his personal Instagram account that he tried to contact Parantainen after the race. Niskanen said that he would like to get over the situation and apologize for his anger. According to Niskanen, Parantainen still hadn’t answered him on Sunday.
Who surprised?
Urheilu’s second expert, Jussi Piirainen according to the Finnish cups, the most positive surprises were the tight competitions.
For example, on Saturday, the victory of the men’s 12-kilometer freestyle intermediate start race was closely contested among several athletes. In the end, the young take the longest shot Niko Anttola and came second Arsi Ruuskanen.
In the message, they fought for the wins until the end. In Women’s Ical Athletes Hilla Niemelä gave tough resistance to Vuokatti Ski Team, known as a tough Kirin woman Katri Lylynperä.
As for the men’s victory, there was a struggle between no less than six teams. All medal positions were decided in the very last meters.
Already on Saturday, Finnish men’s skiing’s wide-ranging improvement in level was highlighted. It can be seen especially in messages.
– There should be more common ground. The messages brought out a nice tact, Piirainen sees.
What the hell?
26-year-old Swiss star Marco Odermatt controls the alpine prints however he wants. On Saturday, Odermatt secured his third consecutive overall victory in the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Palisades Tahoe, USA.
Odermatti’s most recent victory came from the giant slalom side. He has won all of the past seven giant slalom races.
– I know I can count faster and that was definitely needed on the last count. I think I know how to handle this situation, Odermatt felt after his seventh giant slalom victory.
After Saturday, Odermatti had a whopping 1,001 point lead over second-placed Austria to Manuel Feller.
Who flopped?
In Piirainen’s opinion, it is difficult to find real failures in the Finnish Cup competitions. On Saturday, however, he would have expected a much better performance from Iivo Niskas in the 12 kilometer intermediate start race.
Niskanen was surprisingly fourth, losing 14 seconds to Anttola.
– We clearly need to improve for next weekend, in order to be in the top fight in Lahti, Piirainen roti on Saturday.
On Saturday, in Niskane, in the bread category, the butt was already going harder. In skiing, however, there were still no elements of the best Niskas.
– There isn’t such a peak mood yet, but this was an important race weekend to get in shape with Salpauselkä and Holmenkollen in mind. He is very much in the fight for the top places, but he is not the early favorite, as he has often been in traditional races.
What next?
The cross-country skiing World Cup season continues after a two-week break on Friday, when the traditional Lahti World Cup competitions are held in Salpauselä. In addition to cross-country skiing, points are also competed for in downhill and combined.
The Finnish audience will be treated to a treat, as strong traditional pair sprints will be skied for the Finns on Friday and 20 kilometer traditional intermediate races on Saturday. The latter competition format should be as if it was made for the Niskanen siblings.
In the pair sprint, Finland can field two tough teams in both races. Piirainen believes that Finland can fight for both men’s and women’s podium places and even victory.
There is plenty of choice for the men’s pair sprint. They could at least ski in the first team Lauri Vuorinen, Joni Mäki Cross mat HakolaIivo Niskanen and Niilo Moilanen. So, tough names can be left out of the teams.
– We currently have four really strong pair relay skiers: Mäki, Vuorinen, Niskanen and Hakola. Vuorinen has really raised his level for this year. Coaching has to think a lot about who is paired with whom.
– Shall we put the fast guys, Mäki and Vuorinen, on the ski slopes together? Shall I make it so that in each team one has more sprint strengths and the other has endurance qualities? There are several good options, Piirainen reflects.