Photo: Bildbyrån
William Poromaa took the first victory of his career in the World Cup this weekend.
His competitor Iivo Niskanen explains why the Swede sprinted past him at the end:
– I am also nine years older than him, he is in his prime.
It took a couple of years, but now it finally has William Poromaa24, took the first individual victory of his career in the World Cup. It was during Sunday’s 20 km mass start in Les Rousses that the Swede showed his best side.
William Poromaa’s words after the victory
Poromaa previously had five podium places as the main merit when it comes to the World Cup. In the context of the championship, he has a bronze medal from the WC in Planica 2023 (5 miles). The victory in French Les Rousses came after he sprinted down Norwegian Simen Hegstad Krüger and Finnish Iivo Niskanen before the finish line.
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William Poromaa tells how he thought during the final stage of the race:
– I felt a little… I saw that there will be a sprint against Iivo. I had it a bit in the back of my mind, that damn I can’t get spanked, he’s getting old, it won’t last anymore. So today I had to push him there. It was incredibly nice. I had incredible skis. If we don’t take it home today, we have to start thinking a little, so it was only a win that mattered.
Iivo Niskanen’s statement on Poromaa
Finnish Niskanen was on the one hand happy for Poromaa’s sake. At the same time, he was of course disappointed.
– The Swedes were strong today and he deserved a win. I couldn’t beat him in the sprint. It was a good fight, but I had no chance to beat him today, he says.
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Afterwards he came up with a small explanation as to why Poromaa managed to sprint past him. It was all about the age difference between the two.
– I am also nine years older than him, he is in his prime, he says.
Congratulations on your first World Cup victory, William! So happy that you finally got to step on top of the podium. You have earned it after all the hard work.
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