Riitta-Liisa Roponen will start the World Cup competition in Jällivaara at the age of 45 years and 210 days. No one has skied the World Cup as a senior in more than 40 years.
Riitta-Liisa Roponen will compete in the Jällivaara World Cup in Sweden this weekend. shows the competitions on its channels. Watch the live broadcasts at this link.
It was November 28th in Lapland, Finland, when the World Cup five-kilometer race in freestyle skiing was contested in Muonio. A young woman from Haukiputaa was selected for the host country’s national quota: 20 years old Riitta-Liisa Lassilawhich Czech Republic Katerina Neumannova finished 70th in the competition he won. The other top women from that time are also familiar to the nostalgics of the genre – among others Stephanie Belmondo, Olga Danilova and Larisa Lazutina.
Exactly a quarter of a century and four days later, the white circus runs 220 kilometers southwest of Muonio, in Jällivaara, Sweden. The distance of the freestyle skiing time-based competition is now 10 kilometers. Twenty years ago, like a miracle, Viiva found a ski coach Toni Roposen married to and took this last name Riitta-Liisa Roponen.
Born on 6.5. 1978 in Haukiputaa (now a part of Oulu).
Married to Toni Ropose. The couple’s daughter already lives on her own.
Represented Finland five times at the Olympics and nine times at the World Championships. One relay medal from the Olympics, seven from the World Championships 2005–2021.
Eight individual prize places from the World Cup.
In addition to training, works as an entrepreneur in the coaching industry.
In the meantime, she has had time, for example, to have a child who has already moved out, compete 237 times in the World Cup and 42 times in prestigious competitions, achieve eight relay medals in prestigious competitions and the same number of individual prize places in the World Cup, build a house with her husband, become a coaching entrepreneur and end her international top skiing career a couple of times. During the past year, however, according to the husband, the training has amounted to about 850 hours.
Oldest ever
Above all, Roponen makes history in Jällivaara: at the age of 45 years and 210 days, he becomes the oldest athlete to ever ski a World Cup.
– Represented Brazil Jaqueline Mourao was 45 years and 77 days old in his last World Cup competition (Engadin 14.3. 2021). This is how Riitta-Liisa will be the oldest when she starts on December 2, says the competition coordinator who investigated the matter at the request of Urheilu Doris Kallen From the International Ski Federation.
Kallen reminds us that not all of the athletes’ personal data has been digitized since the beginning of the World Cup, which was officialized for the 1981–1982 season. A skiing legend Harri Kirvesnieminow 65, was already touring international competitions in his third season at the time.
– I’m sure that I would remember if there were athletes that old at that time, Kirvesniemi states.
He himself ended his career in the 2000–2001 season after reaching the age of 42. In 1994 in Lillehammer, Italy won the Olympic relay gold Maurilio de Zolt skied the World Cup that season at the age of 43. Norwegian Hilde G. Pedersen was also 43 years old in his last World Cup season in 2007–08.
“Thanks, but no”
Roponen’s selection was confirmed at the Kuusamo World Cup last weekend without competing, when the performances of the Finnish women in free skiing were really weak. During the Jällivaara World Cup, the main character didn’t want to comment on his impending entry into the closet of history.
– Thanks, but no. I don’t feel the need to talk about my age anymore. I really like to compete because I’m in good shape.
Before Ropo, the history of the World Cup has already been made by Finnish skiers a year younger Aino-Kaisa Saarinen. In the spring of 2018, the player from Gotholle, who ended his career, has a world record number of World Cup starts, 354.
Saturday 2.12.
Sunday 3.12.