Iivo Niskanen fell like an uncle from the boat – Here’s the reason

Iivo Niskanen advanced the hoe technique on the last climb of the Ruka track on Sunday. Pasi Liesimaa

Iivo Niskanen fell out of the race for victory like an uncle from a boat on Sunday in the final climb of the 20 km free co-start race of the Ruka Suomen Cup.

Iltalehti’s skiing expert Pirjo Muranen open up what it’s all about.

– He didn’t have the string come off in the same way as others. The surrender came and he didn’t bother to try, Muranen begins.

– Or did he seriously get so bad that he couldn’t put anything into the game anymore, the Lapland continues.

The decision of the competition took place on the steep climb leading to the Ruka ski stadium, where hoe technology is used.

– In Ruka hill, you have to play the hoe if you want to succeed. It wasn’t exactly the best hoe from Niskas. When the performance is just right, the going is definitely very different.

The skier’s finger was cut last May. Kuopio’s thumb was broken as a result of an accident on a roller ski run.

– As far as I understand, due to his hand injury, he has been doing a lot of skating without a pole and other substitute training. I don’t see that the injury has significantly affected the preparation for the season. He has certainly done some hard work.

What observations did you make about Niskanen’s performance on Sunday?

– Mainly the skiing looked pretty good, even though the string didn’t come off. However, the neck is a kind of question mark. In previous seasons, it has been seen that even if there has been no flow, with the right moves the following weekend, results have been obtained, Muranen answers.

A new hero

Fifth in the free ten of the Olos cannon competition last weekend and second in the sacred Ruka Suomen Cup.

Vuokatti Ski Team Kainuu Veeti Pykkö has been the domestic surprise surprise numero uno in the free normal trips of the early season.

– Pyykkö was leading well throughout Sunday’s competition, and did not make hasty game moves. He read the game nicely until the end, Muranen says.

At the same time, the expert reminds that the saint’s mittelö in the Northeast region was quite leisurely in pace.

– If Pyykkö makes it to the top 30 next Sunday in the World Cup in Ruka on a journey similar to the Finnish Cup, I consider it a great performance.

Hyvärinen’s diving

He got the longest minus sign in the expert’s notebook as a saint Perttu Hyvärinen. The agriculture and forestry man dived to seventeenth place. Break up with the winner Cross mat Hakola accumulated a minute.

Hyvärinen’s coach Mikko Virtanen said a week ago that his protégé does so-called hard driving in training until the start of the World Cup. This explains at least partially the tame result on Sunday.

– I believe that his old performances are strong enough that the man will be able to participate in the Ruka World Cup. Let’s hope that through sensitizing and lightening, the man will get results out of himself, Muranen estimates.

Sunday’s winner Hakola surprised himself. In recent years, he has not been successful in free normal trips.

– Team skiing always gives you a good feeling. The calm traveling speed was the luck of “Rise”. And then on top of that the sprinting abilities.

Hakola mace in the end Joni Mäen.

– They have had so many mutual hugs on Ruka’s last hill, where Rise has taken Joni’s scalp, that he has some kind of mental upper hand.

“Boring competition”

The women’s 20 km race on Sunday did not impress the expert.

– Boring race. I would have hoped that the women of the national team would have started to keep up the pace. Now we settled for a walking pace. The final results of the competition do not say anything at all.

Kerttu Niskanen probably would have kept up the pace, but he didn’t arrive at the race venue. According to unconfirmed information, Niskanen is suffering from a witch’s arrow that hit his back.

The expert estimates that I follow the injury day by day, so to speak.

– The back problem affects traditional skiing for the most part, but of course the power output also suffers in freestyle skiing.