Teemu Pasanen plans to sit down for a few days after the World Cup season. The last time he has been on holidays is in September.
Kimmo Porttila,
Roope Visuri
13.3. 14: 09 • Updated March 13 14:43
Head coach of the Finnish cross-country team Teemu Pasasen the contract is broken now in the spring.
Pasanen stated To Iltalehti (go to another service) in January that he is specifically interested in coaching in the future. Pasanen said at the time that being recruited by the head coach had become much more of a hassle than normal during the Korona period.
– It’s annoying when I don’t have enough time to focus on coaching. Coaching is my passion, Pasanen said at the time.
Pasanen updated his situation for Sport on the closing day of the World Ski Cup in Falun.
– The agreement has not yet been negotiated. There has been a full focus on the Olympics and the completion of the World Cup. When the race season is over, then we start thinking, Pasanen said.
– I’m not saying exactly yet. Last time I was supposed to be on a roughly September holiday. Now you have to sit down for at least a few days first. Then we start thinking about the future. Of course, there are still a few domestic competitions to be toured, Pasanen says.
So a little thought that you can’t say for sure if you want to continue?
– You have to think about the whole situation and the system. Certainly coaching is always of interest. It will never end, Pasanen said.
On Sunday, Finland took second place in the mixed message when Krista Pärmäkoski defeated Norway Therese Johaugin with the anchor section. The other mixed-race skiers were Iivo and Kerttu Niskanen mixed Perttu Hyvärinen.
Representing Finland in Paris Joni Mäki and Jasmi Joensuu mixed Lauri Vuorinen and Johanna Matintalo.
According to Pasanen, putting together teams was finally easy for the World Cup’s new trips.
– There were no big problems with that, Pasanen said.
The funny detail is that Vuorinen and Matintalo are a couple. According to Pasanen, it was a pure coincidence. There was no planning.
– Both were that “Aijaa, such a situation.” No wonder, Pasanen described.
What does the situation of skiing in Finland look like?
The season in international skiing has been tough for the Finnish team. Finland won as many as six ski medals at the Beijing Olympics. Of course, five of them involved Niskanen’s family. Most recently, however, a tougher medal balance in Olympic skiing has been seen by Finns in Sarajevo in 1984.
– The preparations for the Olympics were successful. Stayed healthy. The high place training was successful. We were prepared for the conditions of the Olympics. Even in the summer it was high. There came successful camps and exercises. That’s why the Olympics were a good result, Pasanen described to Sport.
In the World Cup, Iivo Niskanen won the Normal Travel Cup and made Finnish skiing history. No Finnish man had been able to do the same. Niskanen was also third in the overall cup.
Pärmäkoski was fourth in the overall cup. He was just two seconds away from third place in the overall cup on Saturday.
New Finnish skiers have also reached the World Cup points. Johanna Matintalo took her first personal podium finish in the World Cup.
– Although there was not much focus on the World Cup, it was also successful. The maintenance has been successful throughout the season. There have been few races that have clearly failed. A couple of worse, but on average we have been very involved in the equipment side, says Pasanen.
Are you thinking about the next generation march?
– Always worry about it. However, there are young people coming from there. There was good success in the youth championships, but it is not easy to get up from there to the international top level for adults. There are many examples that it is not quite straightforward. We have to be better at it all the time, Pasanen says.