Aino-Kaisa Saarinen will never forget Krista Pärmäkoski’s spontaneous spark: “After that, the podiums just kept coming”

Finnish cross-country skier Krista Pärmäkoski announced on Instagram that she will retire after the season that starts with Friday’s World Cup opener. The veteran, who first considered ending her career after the 2022 Olympics, will make the 2025–26 campaign leading into Milano–Cortina her last at the international level.

Yle expert and former teammate Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen calls it a natural end to a brilliant career: planning in four‑year Olympic cycles makes it easier to close a chapter after an Olympic push. She stresses that Pärmäkoski will not be “winding down” this winter; pressure and ambition remain, even if peace of mind comes from all she has already achieved.

Pärmäkoski’s international résumé is extensive: 12 championship medals in total (five individual), including five from the Olympics and seven from World Championships. At the 2018 PyeongChang Games she won three individual medals. On the World Cup circuit she has nearly 40 podiums, with her most recent win coming at Lahti (Salpausselkä) in 2024.

Saarinen highlights Pärmäkoski’s role as the reliable pillar of Finland’s women’s team, carrying the torch after Virpi Sarasvuo (Kuitunen) and Saarinen herself. While Kerttu Niskanen has produced big results in recent seasons, Pärmäkoski’s tenure at the very top has been longer. A vivid example is the anchor leg at the 2021 Oberstdorf World Championships, where Pärmäkoski outpaced a then‑stronger Jessie Diggins to secure a surprise relay bronze for Finland.

Saarinen and Pärmäkoski also share memories from the 2011 Oslo Worlds, where they took silver together in the classic team sprint. Saarinen recalls an early‑season moment when Pärmäkoski excitedly told her she had figured out something new; from that point, the consistent success arrived and it was no longer about isolated great races but sustained performance year after year.

Note: The article was updated to correct Pärmäkoski’s number of individual championship medals to five.