Kerttu Niskas has a chance for a rare achievement in the final of the World Cup. According to her own words, Jessie Diggins does not focus on Kerttu Niskane, but on skiing with beautiful technique.
BAY. The Skiing World Cup culminates in Lahti on Sunday, when the 20-kilometer joint start races are contested in traditional skiing.
For Finns, the biggest excitement is focused on the women’s competition. Kerttu Niskanen fighting the United States Jessie Diggins for winning the normal journeys Cup.
Niskanen leads Diggins by 22 points before the final race.
– The main focus is to ski with beautiful technique and a long slide. I don’t think about points, but how I can ski so well, Diggins said.
Diggins has already experienced passionate Finnish fans at Salpauselä. After Saturday’s sprint race, Diggins had trouble hearing the reporters’ questions when the Finnish fans were so loud. Diggins had to scratch his ears.
– I didn’t hear your question because the fans are so incredible. This is a great place for the last World Cup race, Diggins stated.
The American found the battle to win the distance cup exciting.
– It’s a traditional race. I’m just doing my best, the stronger Diggins on the freestyle skied off.
Sports expert Aino-Kaisa Saarinen according to Niskanen is the favorite to win the race on Sunday.
– Diggins is clearly a freestyle skier, but the last races on traditional have gone well, Saarinen says about the setup.
The points you get from Kirimaals can shuffle the deck. In Sunday’s race, there are two intermediate places, where bonus points are awarded to the ten fastest.
According to Saarinen, Diggins is trying to get extra points from the candy. According to the expert, Niskanen needs to set a high pace in the joint start race and decide the race in time.
– We all know how it will be if Jessie gets to go to the stadium in the same team. He is very good at counting endings. Fast travel speed is a winning tactic for Kertu, Saarinen states.
Niskas can become the third Finn to win the standard distance cup. The winner of the normal distance cup skied from the season 2003–2004 Virpi Sarasvuo (nee Kuitunen) twice in a row in the seasons 2006–2008.
Iivo Niskanen won the normal distance Cup last season. He was also third in the overall World Cup. Kerttu Niskanen has also secured third place in the overall cup. So he has a good chance to repeat his brother’s trick last season.
On Sunday, after a short break, Iivo Niskanen will also be on the racetrack in the World Cup. Niskanen had a cold after the World Championships and did not compete in Falun last week.
If Iivo Niskanen had been allowed to decide, he himself would not have been the first to wish for a joint start race in Lahti. According to Niskanen, the Lahti track is funnel-shaped and it also has a lot of competitors.
– In the previous joint start races I’ve watched, even in the youth there was a really big group skiing all the way from the top places. I wouldn’t put a joint race here as the first one. Hopefully the weather will be heavy enough that there will be a competition that favors its own characteristics, Niskanen stated.
Aino-Kaisa Saarinen set high expectations for the Niskanen siblings.
– Two pole positions (win). Iivo is used to winning in front of the home crowd, even if there are difficulties. Johannes Hösflot Kläbo it’s difficult to beat, of course, but he can be beaten, Saarinen beamed.
follows the Salpausselkä races live on its channels. TV2, Areena and Puhe broadcast all events. The women’s 20 kilometers is scheduled at 12:00 and the men’s 20 kilometers at 1:45 p.m. You can find all of Salpausselkä’s games on ‘s live streaming here.