Kati Roivas says that success in the World Cup would require more traditional and freestyle skiing practice.
Kati Roivas made Finnish skiing history on Sunday when he finished third in the prestigious Vasaloppet race. It is the best ranking ever by a Finnish woman in the competition organized since 1922. Lena Ray (born Häggman) was fourth in 1994.
The race was won by Norway Emilie Fleten almost three minutes apart from its counterpart Magni to Smedas. Roivas clocked a time of 4:26:31, three minutes and 24 seconds behind Fleten.
Roivas, 29, says that the 90 km race between Sälen and Mora was one of his main goals for the season. The top prize in a fairytale event warmed the heart. Especially when the beginning of the race was difficult. Roivaks has had problems with his lower back in the last week.
– In the beginning, it seemed to feel a little small and the bike was quite heavy, but then it started to feel better. I was able to join some really good tours when the men start at the same time. The skiing then went very well until the end, says Roivas.
The race was exceptionally dramatic when a few climate activists jumped onto the track in the final moments of the race just before the winner of the men’s race who was pressing at the top Torleif Syrstad rushed past. The orderlies were able to keep the activists at bay enough that a collision was avoided.
Roivas saw the situation after the race from the recording.
– That kind of person probably doesn’t belong in sports. There have been quite a lot of these now. I wish they would find a different way to bring this up.
New stable, new level
Kati Roivas may have remained unknown to the general public, as she has not been seen in the national team and has no World Cup points at all.
She skied in the SC in 2021, when she was 59th in the women’s 10 km traditional and lost to the winner of the race Krista Pärmäkoski more than five minutes. Before this, he has a result at the World Championship level from 2014, when he was 26th in the five-kilometer freestyle race under his twenties and 21st in the traditional ten-kilometer race.
In 2015, Roivas went to the University of New Mexico on an athlete scholarship. Four years finally passed in the United States, after which Roivas, who currently lives in France, has traveled on marathon trips after getting excited about long trips during his student days.
Now Roivas is skiing a strong season on the long-distance Ski Classics tour, which also includes Vasaloppet. Roivas, second overall in the women’s standings, has placed in the top three eight times this season and won two Challenger second-level competitions.
Last year, Roivas was seventh in the overall competition.
Roivas, who has already focused on long trips for several years, estimates that training has begun to bear fruit this season. In addition, the Finn has avoided serious illnesses.
Perhaps the biggest change from before is Roivansen’s ski garage Team Eksjöhus, which he joined for this season.
– Now all resources are top class. That’s a big deal. The coach changed, and the lubrication and equipment side are fine. The team around is a really big deal. We have been able to practice a lot together, it does push us forward.
The women’s team has been dominated by Emilie Fleten, who leads the overall situation by far. According to Roivansen, catching up with Fleten might be too hard a task, but it is possible to keep second place until the end. There are still four races left in the tour.
Next on the race calendar is the 54 kilometer Birkebeinerrennet.
– “Birke” should suit me well. It’s one of the late season games where I’d like to do well.
The national team is interested
Women will compete in next year’s World Championships for the first time in 50 kilometers. For example, Norway, known from Ski Classics Astrid Öyre Slind went to win the relay gold and the bronze in the combined competition at the World Championships in Planica last year. In the same spring, Slind was second in the first women’s 50 km World Cup race at Holmenkollen.
In the Ski Classics series, even the top women ski the competitions with an equal push emphasis. This is significantly different from normal distance World Cup competitions. In the series, the national teams do not compete, but ski garages under different ownership are represented.
Would Roivas be interested in trying national team assignments on long trips?
– Why not. I have now invested in long trips and trained more upper body capacity. If you wanted to focus more on the distances to be skied in the World Cup, you should invest a little more in traditional and free skiing. But why not as an idea, Roivas told Urheilu on Monday.
Roivas is part of the Finnish World Cup team for the Holmenkollen 50 km that was announced on Tuesday, which will be skied this coming weekend.
Updated story at 1:10 p.m.: Added information that Roivas will participate in the Holmenkollen World Cup.