PLANICA. The overwhelming winner of the women’s final race is Sweden Ebba Andersson gave interviews with a big smile on his face. Silver woman of Norway Anne Kjersti Kalvå cried tears of happiness after the NRK interview and received a long hug from NRK’s expert who wiped away tears herself From Therese Johaug. And not the bronze one From Frida Karlsson too smile frozen in front of the media.
The situation was the opposite for Finnish women. Arriving at the media area took longer than ever before during the Games. Disappointment emanated from every skier, and although it was easier to recap the day and the races after the television interviews, the disappointment was palpable.
– Disappointed. F***a performance today. I expected better Krista Pärmäkoski shook straight and said so Kerttu Niskanen, Johanna Matintalo than Even Anne Kyllönen mind.
– Before the games, I thought that there would be better performances, but they went poorly.
Niskanen, who finished sixth, was particularly disappointed, as he entered the race with a medal in mind. The same feeling was still strong for half an hour after the race.
– These were such competitions, Niskanen stated with a sigh and said that he came to these prestige competitions in better shape than ever.
– Zero medals in the pocket when we leave home. 5, 6 and 9 are places and 4th in the relay. Even in worse condition, a medal has sometimes come into my pocket.
Niskanen reminded that everything has to be successful in order to be successful in value competitions. This time his second pair of skis was as good as the first.
– After the changeover, when I left the pits down there, I knew that there would be no medal today, unless someone broke skiing, Niskanen stated and found a smile on his lips as he thought about how he was going to get over the disappointment.
– I take Marta (the dog) under my arm and we head home. Yes, life wins again.
Pärmäkoski, who was waiting his turn next to Niskanen, assured that he was already feeling better than at the finish line. He lay on the ground for a long time before he could get up, grimacing. According to him, there was nothing miraculous about this, because 30 kilometers always drains the body.
This time, however, Pärmäkoski’s body did not “boil”, as many times before. The decision to change into shorts 20 minutes before the start turned out to be the right decision.
The result was still weak for Pärmäkoski, as he was 15th in the race. Even at the Tour de Ski, his speed was a couple of clicks better, but he got sick in the middle of the tour. Now Pärmäkoski admitted that a miracle would have had to happen in order for him to have reached a fast enough pace in the final leg.
Were the World Championships in Planica Krista Pärmäkoski’s last prestigious competitions? It’s a question that the media has been wanting to answer for a long time and that many people have asked him. Pärmäkoski could not give a direct answer to that. After a long pause he said:
– When I started the training season, I was absolutely sure that this would be my last year, but at the moment I don’t have an answer to that.
Pärmäkoski has been traveling for five and a half weeks. Now that the racing job is over, he thinks it’s just nice to get home.
– Of course, I would have hoped that these would have ended a little differently, but it’s nice to get home for a while. You won’t have time to spend many days there again, but a little anyway.
Johanna Matintalo and Anne Kyllönen continued the disappointing comments of Finnish women. The two arrived at the interview at the same time, and at the same time they also walked the runway. Matintalo finished 25th in the race and Kyllönen 26th.
Matintalo admitted that he made a mistake when changing his skis, as he should have changed them after the first round. According to Kyllönen, he had a fault in the race both on skis and on skis, and the spirit of the game was clear early on.
– In that case, you just had to try to forget the whole situation and focus on every technical thing that you can use to get to the finish line intact and keep yourself tight, Kyllönen said.
– There was quite a lot to do with motivation, but luckily Johanna was there. He could have a good time as a guy. Especially since he had a better glide on the downhills, my job was always to catch up to him on the uphills.
Matintalo’s season has been very fluctuating, and he admitted that he has dived in one direction or another in the last month. He found a little positive vibe in the World Championships in the relay, but whether the top day or the basic day falls on the race, he thinks it depends on the little things.
– I hope that I can balance things for the rest of the season. There are still races left. Of course, these were the main races of the season and the biggest goal, and it leaves an empty feeling that I didn’t reach the goals. If I can still have some nice success at the end of the season, then this season will have a slightly better taste, Matintalo said.
Kyllönen plans to get over his disappointment by training and resting. The fact that he gets to his own conditions and home breaks the situation. Will the 35-year-old striker’s career continue next season? Kyllönen does not have an answer to that yet.
– Every spring I think about it and weigh it. It’s the sum of so many factors. If there is motivation and fire, then you have to push as long as you have it. Then when it’s gone, that’s when you know I’m done.