Finland has only one medal favorite on the WC tracks

Kerttu Niskanen is the only Finnish athlete whose basic level from the previous season is enough for a top result, writes Santtu Silvennoinen from Vantaa.

The Finnish Cup was skied in Vantaa over the weekend. Jussi Eskola

Before the Finnish Cup in Vantaa, they talked about why Katri Lylynperä and Markus Vuorela did not make it to the World Championships in Planica.

In the Hakunila sports park, they would have had the opportunity to put a bone in the throats of the selectors with cannon skis, but the performances ended the speculations immediately with a handshake.

Ristomatti Hakola’s situation popped up as a new topic of conversation. He is sick again and was unable to compete in Vantaa.

Hakola has only one valid international record from these snows: eighteenth place in the traditional 20 km mass start of the World Cup in France.

Is it justified to go to Planica while recovering? Will the opening leg of the 4×10 kilometer relay turn out to be the same Via Dolorosa as last winter’s Olympic Games in China?

Ristomatti Hakola’s health situation speaks again. Jussi Saarinen

The medal favorite of the prestigious competitions is an athlete who has regularly taken top positions earlier in the season. An athlete for whom the previous “basic level” of the season is enough for a medal.

Finland has only one medal favorite in Slovenia: Kerttu Niskanen in the traditional mass start of 30 kilometers. The terrains are suitable for a woman’s spirit, as the track has a lot of switch skiing and few challenging descents.

Ebba Andersson and Frida Karlsson are early favorites on normal trips. Niskanen is the biggest threat to the three Swedish World Cup gold medals.

If in the 15 kilometer combined race, Niskanen can get away from the tough skaters like Jessie Diggins, who were torn apart by the 7.5 kilometer traditional section, he will be a medal hope in those competitions.

Kerttu Niskanen aired the Tour de Ski second place at the beginning of January. Jussi Saarinen

The medal hope of the prestigious championships is an athlete who in recent history has been successful in individual events, but has not been able to regularly achieve top positions earlier in the season.

Iivo Niskanen is a medal hope at 50 kilometers. A long distance with a joint start is significantly more challenging for a traditional champion than 15 kilometers with an intermediate start. There are ski changes, tactical play and speed regulation. The Kuopio native has skied a total of eight 50-kilometer traditional races in the World Cup and prestigious competitions, of which the balance is two podium places: Korea’s Olympic victory in 2018 and second place in the Kollen World Cup in 2017.

Krista Pärmäkoski is hoping for rough wet weather for the 30-kilometer race, so that she can ride transparents. He would be in top condition and hope for a medal in the combined race as well, but the results of recent times have not been promising.

Johanna Matintalo in the women’s sprint, the women’s relay team and the men’s relay team are Finland’s other medal hopes.

Mutu’s feeling is that medal hopes have a 33 percent chance of a medal.

Finland gets 2–3 skiing medals from Planica.

Here are the Vantaa Finnish Cup Lions & Sheep Jussi Eskola

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