Krista Pärmäkoski’s special feature speaks volumes – an exceptional balance at the Tour de Ski

Krista Pärmäkoski could be described as a great Tour skier. He has participated in the Central European tour ten times before this season and all final results are in the result bracket 2-8.

– Krista is a skier who doesn’t do a lot of hard intensity training in a year. Basic fitness is very tough from the point of view. He has a good recovery ability, and when there are tough races, he is able to benefit from them. For many others, the recovery falls short on the Tour, so the performance level does not remain as high from one competition to the next, says Iltalehti’s skiing expert Reijo Jylhä.

In 2017, Pärmäkoski was second in the Tour de Ski. There are two third places on the resume: in 2019 and 2013. There are four fourth places, one fifth place and two eighth places.

A consistently good balance can be characterized as exceptional.

– Quite often I fail at the beginning of the Tour. When we get from the opening stages from a high place closer to sea level, it’s annoying enough that I start skiing, Pärmäkoski announces and laughs.

Big money in the game

The Finn took two second places in stages three and four from Oberstdorf and rose to fourth overall in the tour.

Pärmäkoski is different from the one leading the event to Frida Karlsson 1.41, but the Norwegians in second and third place Tiril Weng and Anne Kjersti Kalvå are 13 seconds apart.

– Frida is barren. Hardly anyone can do anything for him anymore. But there are still good opportunities for other places, says the Ikaalist athlete.

On Friday, Val di Fiemme will compete in a traditional sprint and on Saturday, a traditional 15 kilometer mass start.

– The sprint really decides a lot. You have to succeed in that, i.e. reach the final.

Saturday’s 15 kilometers is an enigmatic distance due to the equipment and duration.

– There will certainly be even bigger differences than in the free 20 km race in Oberstdorf, because that’s what happens in Fiemme. Many times someone from the top falls far away. The important thing is to succeed in skiing, Pärmäkoski states.

As usual, the Tour de Ski culminates on Sunday with the final ascent on the Alpe Cermis ski slope.

Success over the weekend is also significant for the athletes financially, as the International Ski Federation Fis has increased the prize money of the tour considerably since last season. The winner of the Tour receives 80,000 Swiss francs (last season 55,000 francs), second 60,000 (40,000) and third 40,000 (27,000).

One Swiss franc is roughly equivalent to one euro.