The goal of the combined Finnish women’s national team is to have athletes consistently ranked 10–15. The new individual compact competition format also affects the women’s combined.
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The women’s combined World Cup season kicks off this weekend in Lillehammer, Norway with two traditional Gundersen competitions, where the hill section determines the time differences for skiing.
The last two seasons have been Norway’s by Gyda Westvold Hansen superiority. In the previous season, the Norwegian conquered the overall World Cup race with maximum points, winning every race in which he participated. Hansen is also the early favorite for the upcoming season.
The coach of the Finnish women’s team Lasse Moilanen according to the men’s opening weekend in Ruka, the new race format individual compact can bring new excitement to the women’s races.
The new format favors good skiers and reduces time differences. The race has been seen as a way to limit the men’s side Jarl Magnus Riiberin superiority.
– In the summer, the women’s individual compact race was held for the first time, and there was another winner right away. I hope that these games will bring a little new color to the top. In the traditional Gundersen race, Gyda will certainly be difficult to beat this season as well, says Moilanen.
A goal in my twenties
Finland is starting to improve from the previous season, because according to Moilanen, the athletes have improved during the training season.
In the 2022–2023 season Minja Korhonen was the best Finn in the total points of the Cup at number 25. Among other Finns Alva Thors was the 29th and Giver Aries 36:s. The young team did not get a ranking in the top ten yet.
– This season we are going to get them in order to get athletes in the World Cup evenly among the top 10-15 in the games we are participating in, says Moilanen.
Only 16-year-old Korhonen traveled from Finland to the opening weekend of the season. Also in the summer, the 15-year-old who appeared in adult international competitions for the first time Heta Hirvonen was supposed to participate, but he stayed home as a precaution after falling ill.
Moilanen believes that with a single top performance, Korhonen can reach the top five this season, and Hirvonen, on a good day, into the top ten.
The young team can develop at home
The rest of the Finns are training at home for the time being. Thors and Oinas have also been named to the women’s national team.
– With a rather narrow team, we are going around in the World Cup. We hope that other girls will come during the season to challenge the above-mentioned girls to the games and thereby join the team, says Moilanen.
The ski association’s finances have been tight. Moilanen admits that there have been significantly fewer camps than before. However, the team has been able to do high-quality basic training in familiar conditions at home.
According to the coach, less traveling can even be an advantage when there hasn’t been the stress of traveling abroad.
– When it comes to such a young team, the condition for development may not be to constantly look for change in circumstances. By practicing and skiing at home on your own hill, you can still develop quite well at this point.