In recent years, especially in recent years, Swedish female cross-country skiers have won competition medals significantly younger than the Finns.
Young Sweden washes Finland.
This is clear when you look at the age of female skiers who have won their first individual medal in the 2000s.
Swedish Frida Karlsson opened his personal medal account in Seefeld in 2019 when he was only 19 years old. Finland’s previous under-20 fresh competition medalist is Pirjo Muranen (née Manninen) from 2001.
Instead, the under-25-year-old Swede won the first individual medal of his career in 2021. The same thing happened in the Finnish camp 22 years ago.
– Why is it not possible for success to continue directly after sports high school? There will be a plateau in development for a few years. If I could answer the question, there would be no plateau anymore, Iltalehti expert Reijo Jylhä says.
Swedish women grab medals. PASI LEISMA
In the 2000s, eleven Swedish women have won at least one individual medal. No less than six of them have caught the ball at the age of 23 or younger.
In Finland, the same reading is one.
Why is it that people are already successful in Sweden when they are young?
– We also have a good structure from high school onwards. That’s a big factor. Jonna Sundling success has shown that the system works, Swedish women’s national team coach Stefan Thomson says.
Long process
Four of Finland’s seven first-time medalists have celebrated their first own achievement after turning 26 years old.
There are four corresponding women in Sweden.
– This is related to Finnish society’s way of caring and even caring. Is the Finnish school system such that athletes do not have to bear much responsibility for their own development between the ages of 16 and 20? A lot of things are done in the sports education system, says Jylhä.
– It is reflected in the next stage, when a person has to take responsibility at the age of 20. In addition to sports, we learn other things about life.
According to Jylhä, more independent athletes are raised in Sweden and Norway than in Finland.
– They train young athletes more in the direction of their own training skills and responsibility. It’s the way society works.
According to Thomson, athletes in Sweden are brought up gradually.
– We do the right things from a young age. We go through the technology for a long time. We advise what needs to be developed.
– At the same time, we are building physics that brings success. It’s not just that we train in a hurry.
Sweden got a new young value medalist on Thursday, when Emma Ribom the party won the World Cup silver in the sprint.
Stefan Thomson praises Sweden’s athlete path. PASI LEISMA