Finnish men’s skiing is at a better level than the Tour de Ski results show. Santtu Silvennoinen from Val di Fiemme writes that the relay positions at the World Championships will be fiercely contested.
The results of Finnish men’s skiers at the Tour de Ski have nothing to praise. Jussi Saarinen
“The wretched Finnish men’s skiers”.
“Get out of there, you’re wasting taxpayers’ money.”
“Not even Iivoteleva is like before”.
There are a few comments written by readers of Iltalehti about Finnish male skiers during the Tour de Ski.
Of course, the situation is harsh. Before the best Finn in the Tour’s overall standings, there are, among others, three Frenchmen, two Italians, a Czech, a Brit, a Canadian and a Yankee. Perttu Hyvärinen is the best blue and white in 19th place.
When looking at the famous big picture, the situation in Finnish men’s skiing is significantly better than the Tour de Ski shows.
Perttu Hyvärinen’s speed in the free sections of the relays has not been the best possible. Jussi Saarinen
As has already been brought out several times in Iltalehti, Arsi Ruuskanen (b. 1999), Niilo Moilanen (b. 2001), Alexander Ståhlberg (2002) and Niko Anttola (2003), who won medals at the Junior World Championships, form a quartet, of which one or some rise to the top of the world in the men’s series.
Ruuskanen flashed at the Davos World Cup before Christmas with his eighth place in the free 20 km race. He got sick before the Tour and didn’t go to Central Europe.
Among the more familiar men’s skiers, no less than three quality goers were left out of the Tour.
Ristomatti Hakola and Joni Mäki have been more or less poor during the last few months.
Remi Lindholm made a splash in Davos, among other things, with his eleventh place, but he considered it more reasonable to spend the Tour time on the training tracks.
It should be clear to everyone that Iivo Niskanen’s best skiing of the season will not be Val Müstair’s fourteenth place from last Sunday.
Iivo Niskanen skis the second part of the relay in Planica. Lauri Lepistö (left) can hardly fit in the 4×10 kilometer team. Jussi Saarinen
Will Finnish men’s streak of medals in the prestigious championships’ 4×10 kilometer relay, which started in 2009, end?
On paper, the opportunities are better than in years when Russia is out. But in practice, the medal is again difficult to achieve.
Norway wins of course. France has been bronze in the last value games. The baguette country is collectively on the decline, but Sweden and especially Italy are on the rise. On the Tour, three different Lords of the boot country have already slipped onto the podium.
If the Finnish relay team had to be chosen now, it would be Hyvärinen, Niskanen, Lindholm and Mäki in skiing order.
– I agree with the first three, but Joni Mäki has not succeeded in any of the anchor roles. I’ll put the sprinter as the anchor and let’s hope, let’s hope, that the final stretch will decide. It rarely happens in a message, but in that case you want to get ready for a minute, Iltalehti’s expert Reijo Jylhä states.
The problem is that there aren’t really any others available for the anchor part.
– I would think about it, if Perttu and Remi could ski the free sections and Ristomatti be the opener, Jylhä speculates.
Hyvärinen has been soft in very many relays in the free, so he is hardly an option.
– Yes, Joni is currently the name available as an anchor, Jylhä states.
– I don’t know exactly Ruuskanen’s health situation at the moment, but the eighth place in Davos in free shows that when he is fit, he can ski the relay. I wouldn’t dismiss him for speculation, the expert continues.
If all of Finland’s top team is healthy in Planica in February-March, only one place has been cemented in advance: Iivo Niskanen for the second leg.
