Iivo Niskanen and Kerttu Niskanen skied second in France.
Iivo Niskanen came back with a bang. PDO
Sunday saw a super day for the Niskas, when both Iivo Niskanen and Kerttu Niskanen skied to second place in the 20 km traditional skiing style combined start race in Les Rousses, France.
Regarding Iivo Niskanen’s condition, there were a few question marks in the air before Sunday’s race.
Niskanen has not competed much in the World Cup competitions this season. He has suffered from, among other things, the coronavirus disease.
– The most important thing is that Iivo was able to show himself that he is currently on the right path. There have certainly been uncertainties and bad luck, and it has been difficult to know exactly what the situation is, Iltalehti’s skiing expert Reijo Jylhä says.
The track of Les Rousses was fast and challenging for the skiers. The track had steep climbs and lots of bends.
Niskanen only gave in to the race winner in the final stretch Johannes Kläbo.
– The fact that he is able to ski such a good performance on that type of track showed that he is in good shape.
– Such a steep course, with such fast bends, is not necessarily the most preferred “butt” skiing. He won second place for himself, Jylhä continues.
See the final decision of the men’s race in the video. Cross-country skiing world cup Elisa Viihde on Viaplay and V Sport channels.
Niskanen also showed his tactical ability when he started the long Kiri at the end of the race and the skiers who were in the race to win the race started to fall behind.
– He recognized that Kläbo is tough and can knock others out if he succeeds. On that track and in this situation, it was a key performance from Iivota.
– Two kilometers before the finish, there were already gaps in the cross-country sections. The only one who stayed with it was Kläbo.
On a good path
Johannes Kläbo (center) crossed the finish line just over a second before Iivo Niska. AOP / EPA
The World Ski Championships will be held on February 22–27. in Planica, Slovenia. There, the profiles of the tracks are gentler.
It, in turn, plays into Iivo Niskanen’s pocket.
– Iivo’s strength is that he is good in cross-country skiing and in the shot put. In Planica, there is fast-paced skiing in turn skiing and push skiing. It is an ideal course for Iivo.
Jylhä says the same words about Kerttu Niskanen as Iivo. There are conditions for just about anything at the World Championships in Planica.
Sunday’s competition showed that, where Niskanen only beat Sweden For Ebba Andersson and was finally the second.
– You can say that it was a really promising race. Kertu’s shares improve when we go to Planica and are even more in the shift skiing type of terrain where he is strong.
– When skiing a traditional standard distance, Kerttu is one of those who will fight for the world championship – if he only stays healthy.
What does Pärmäkoski do?
Kerttu Niskanen was second. Jussi Saarinen
Krista Pärmäkoski the world cup weekend was challenging.
Pärmäkoski only finished in 20th place in Friday’s 10 km free time trial race.
On Sunday, he crashed at the beginning of the race and ended up tenth.
– However, Kerttu was two minutes behind. The coach and the athlete have to think about what are the wise solutions so that the fitness curve starts going in the right direction, says Jylhä.
The World Cup continues next weekend in Toblach, Italy.