Sonja Leinamo shocks even Kaisa Mäkäräinen: “She has improved enormously since last year”

Finland’s Sonja Leinamo surprised many by finishing second in the women’s individual race at the Östersund Biathlon World Cup. Though long seen by coaches as a biathlon talent, the 23‑year‑old was better known a few years ago as a cross‑country skier. Since starting rifle training in 2021, her development has accelerated.

Leinamo had already flashed potential last season in Oberhof, placing eighth in the sprint with perfect shooting. In Östersund she incurred one penalty, on a day when no athlete managed clean shooting across four stages. Among 103 starters, she recorded the eighth‑fastest ski time, confirming clear physical progress to match her advances on the range.

Yle’s expert Kaisa Mäkäräinen—herself a former cross‑country skier who switched to biathlon at age 20—said she was both pleased and genuinely surprised: “Sonja has already shown early this season that she has improved enormously since last year.” Mäkäräinen stressed that training at camps alongside top shooters—such as Suvi Minkkinen—has helped Leinamo take big yearly steps in marksmanship. While shooting consistency has been her biggest hurdle, the Östersund performance, with only one miss from four bouts, was “a very strong result.”

Mäkäräinen praised the Finns’ day overall: Finland qualified five women for the race and every one of them scored World Cup points. Expectations had been high for Suvi Minkkinen, but four misses pushed her down to 15th; nonetheless, Mäkäräinen said there is no reason for concern and judged Minkkinen to be in better ski shape than at the start of last season.