Joensuu is on its way to the final, says Reijo Jylhä.
Jasmi Joensuu was Fifth in her semi-final at Oberhof. Jussi Saarinen
Iltalehti’s skiing expert Reijo Jylhä believes that Jasmi Joensuu will still reach the sprint final in the World Cup this season.
This is despite the fact that Joensuu did not make it to the finals on Friday in Oberhof, even though he had a superiorly slippery ski compared to the others.
– The race was decided by a straight push and at the top of the run uphill. Maybe the leg wasn’t at its sharpest yet, because at the top of the climb the group got ahead, Jylhä assessed the traditional performance.
According to Jylhä, the difference to the top six is not dramatic at all. At Oberhof it was about three seconds.
– It’s not about size. There has been quite a lot of competition break now and there have been severe frosts in Finland.
– It is difficult to break the front of the Swedes, but all the foreigners are pretty much on the same line. On the other hand, there are only enough good Swedes for one final.
Anne Kyllönen sparred with Joensuu in the semifinals and impressed the expert. The bet was the best of the season.
– Anne has been able to benefit from a successful Tour. His skiing looked really good. It was a positive surprise that Anne was so good today, Jylhä beams.
Mutual teasing
None of the Finnish men made it to the semi-finals, but Jylhä is still not going to complain about his performance.
– They were in pretty good places, third and fourth in their respective sections. As such, the men skied good performances for their own level, but now it just wasn’t enough to continue.
In the heats, it seemed that the Finns were constantly pushing each other out of the time comparison places. In the end, everyone was left with a bone in their hand.
– Until the last round, the Finnish man was the one who was going to continue based on the times. For the men, it probably happened that the weather was slippery all the time, and that’s why the last set came at the fastest speed, Jylhä thinks.
Johannes Kläbo was the biggest flop of the men’s race, when he was blindingly left out of the final. Jylhä believes that the Norwegian has not yet recovered from his illness.
– Skiing is not as easy as it is at its best. It was normal mortal-looking skiing, says the expert.