Experts baffled as Kerttu Niskanen’s form plunges; Finland’s stars struggle while new names shine

What’s being discussed?

• Finnish winter sports had a strong weekend across several World Cups, except in the flagship discipline of cross-country skiing. Biathlete Suvi Minkkinen won and finished second, freestyler Anni Kärävä won big air, and snowboarder Rene Rinnekangas returned Finland to a World Cup podium.

• In cross-country, Finland’s leaders Iivo Niskanen, Kerttu Niskanen, and Krista Pärmäkoski have had a difficult Olympic-season start. The best Finnish World Cup result so far is Iivo’s 5th place in the classic 10 km at Ruka.

• In Trondheim, Pärmäkoski withdrew mid‑weekend due to acid reflux triggered by a moldy bun. Iivo Niskanen finished more than a minute behind the winners in both the skiathlon and the 10 km freestyle, citing back pain after Saturday’s race; he was 30th on Sunday. He later said his back felt fine on Sunday but admitted he is not tolerating high lactate efforts well and hopes form will build heading toward the Tour de Ski.

• Kerttu Niskanen placed 31st in the 10 km freestyle, the weakest Finnish result on the day and a highly unusual finish for her on distance races. Outside‑top‑30 results for Kerttu at World Cups have been exceedingly rare; prior instances include Ruka 2023 (32nd in a frigid 20 km skate with ski issues) and March 2019 in Quebec, where a back injury in a classic mass start collision led to another outside‑30 finish the next day.

Expert reactions

• Yle analyst Kalle Lassila said he’s astonished given Kerttu’s and Iivo’s well‑known endurance capacities and consistent year‑round level: it “takes a lot” for them to be this far back.

• Yle experts, including Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen, are puzzled by the causes: isolated issues (illness from food, back pain, bodies not responding) don’t fully explain the overall dip, and performances did not trend upward from Ruka to Trondheim. Kerttu herself couldn’t identify a clear reason for her poor race.

Surprises and bright spots

• Saarinen named Kerttu the “flop” of the weekend based on expectations and the sharp drop versus Ruka, while stressing the confusion over causes.

• She praised Arsi Ruuskanen, who was 8th in the 10 km freestyle and the best non‑Norwegian. With Olympic nation quotas of four per country, such a performance would equate to 5th if only four Norwegians were counted. Saarinen also highlighted solid steps from Niko Anttola, Jasmi Joensuu, Vilma Ryytty, and Vilma Nissinen, noting these are career‑best levels even if just outside the top ten.

• Sweden’s men underperformed markedly: Gustaf Berglund was their best on Sunday in 29th, and on Saturday Edvin Anger led them only in 24th, with 11–12 Norwegians ahead. This contrasted with Sweden’s women, who took a sprint 1–4 sweep Friday and a 10 km skate 1–2 on Sunday, suggesting service issues are unlikely to blame for the men.

What’s next?

• The World Cup moves to Davos this week. Saarinen expects big course corrections from Finland’s stars, especially Kerttu Niskanen, who has historically been strong in Davos. She believes “now, if ever,” is the time for her rebound.