Jasmi Joensuu is the early favorite for the Olympics

– Jasmi Joensuu is one of the early favorites for the Olympics. Definitely she is the finalist there. Saturday’s skiing was a strong proof that even though the load is on, the condition is on point and the body can withstand the strain. He can go to the Olympics with a good feeling, enthuses Iltalehti’s skiing expert Pirjo Muranen.

Joensuu’s victory on the upcoming Olympic tracks on Saturday impressed the 2001 sprint world champion.

– Confident things to do right from the start. Knew what he was doing at any point. Had prepared good race plans. It was admirable to watch him go, Muranen says.

The Finn had decided that he would go as easy as possible to the foot of the longest uphill at the beginning of the course, until he hit the floor.

– There was a good rhythm on the last climb and there was a gap. On the downhill, Jasmi relied on her own good calculation skills.

Joensuu is an exceptional Finnish female skier in that she is quite good in the downhills.

– Can use his speed well.

Even before the start of the season, Muranen predicts that Joensuu will be the next new Finnish skier capable of winning the World Cup competition.

– The assessment was based on last year’s success and consistent performance. I realized that during the basic training season 2025 there will be development, so a top result was expected and desired after last season.

Last season, Joensuu won the overall sprint competition of the World Cup, although he only got on the podium once.

“Best performance”

At the Val di Fiemme ski stadium, the traditional sprint was held on a longer track than last season. For women, it took about 3.50 to complete the lap, so it is a particularly long-lasting race.

– It had no effect on Jasmi when the track was longer. This year, I think he is in better shape, so there will be enough bangs until the final. It’s not a matter of durability, as long as it runs on normal trips.

Let’s go back to the assessment that Joensuu is one of the early favorites for the Olympic sprint. Others are, of course Jonna Sundling, Kristine Skistad, Linn Svahn, Nadine Fähndrich and Maja Dahlqvist. The three first mentioned were not part of Tour de Ski stage 5/6 on Saturday.

– Although not all the best were on the line, it was Jasmi’s best performance. I didn’t see anything that he should have done better on Saturday, Muranen assessed.

The World Cup is scheduled for two weekends before the Olympics: in Oberhof on January 17–18 and in Goms on January 23–25. The first mentioned race program includes a free sprint and the second a traditional sprint.

– After Sunday’s final climb, you have to recover carefully from the Tour. Then preparatory training before the Olympics and some tough competition. If I were in the same situation as Jasmi, I would ski a traditional sprint in Goms, Switzerland.