Almost five years ago, the Finnish biathlon icon Kaisa Mäkäräinen officially ended her World Cup career. However, the 42 -year -old does not stop this from starting at national championships – and starting a sensational victory with her team.
The long-time world-class biathlete Kaisa Mäkäräinen has not forgotten anything: five years after her career end, the 42-year-old celebrated the victory with her season of her home club Kontiahden Urheilijat at the Finnish championships.
Together with their teammates Saga Hurskainen and Rieke de Maeyer, she formed the best three -way team in Kontiolahti on Friday. Mäkäräinen secured the victory as the final runner, which in the end was very close. The trio was only 2.6 seconds on the second -placed Eveliina Hakala, Sonja Leimano and Hanni Koski.
For Mäkäräinen it is not the first comeback at the Finnish championships. She had already started last year when she collapsed a failure in the relay at short notice. At that time she had emphasized in advance that she had hardly prepared for the competition. Nevertheless, the silver medal jumped out at the time.
Full of trophy cabinet at biathlon icon mäkäräinen
The Finnin was once admitted to Finland’s national team in 2004, and a year later she made her debut in the World Cup. In the course of her long career, she won 27 individual victories in the World Cup, three times she won the overall World Cup (2010/11, 2013/14, 2017/18).
In the 2010/11 season, the small crystal ball was added to the best pursuer, which she also won in 2013/14 and 2014/15. In 2011 she garnished her winter with the world championship title in the persecution, in the sprint she became second in the World Cup.
Also in the sprint (2013/14) and singles (2014/15) she has a small crystal ball in the showcase, as well as that for the best mass starter (2017/18).