Finland’s top women struggle in Trondheim skiathlon – Pärmäkoski blames moldy bun, Niskanen points to skis

Finland’s difficult early season in women’s cross‑country skiing continued in Trondheim’s skiathlon (7.5 km classic + 7.5 km free).

Kerttu Niskanen placed 19th and Krista Pärmäkoski 26th, both well behind the winner, the USA’s Jessie Diggins. Niskanen’s deficit was 1:04.7, while Pärmäkoski finished more than 1 minute 50 seconds back. The best Finn on the day was Johanna Matintalo in 14th.

Yle expert Kalle Lassila said already during the broadcast that Finland’s top skiers still aren’t firing. “Ruka wasn’t good for the team overall, and this next World Cup weekend has often been very difficult. It seems to be continuing. The top skiers haven’t been able to deliver yet,” he noted, adding after the race that Niskanen and Pärmäkoski aren’t where they need to be.

Pärmäkoski described the race to Viaplay as survival. She said her skis were excellent, but she herself could not contend because of acute stomach trouble caused by eating a moldy hamburger bun at Friday’s lunch. “I got heartburn and terrible cramps during the race and couldn’t breathe properly,” she said.

Niskanen called her race challenging and felt she gave up a bit on equipment: her classic was all‑out, but she was already tired in the skate portion, and compared with nearby rivals her glide seemed stickier.

At the front, Jessie Diggins prevailed in a finishing sprint, beating Norway’s Heidi Weng and Sweden’s Ebba Andersson, Moa Ilar and Frida Karlsson. Diggins and Karlsson bumped into each other in the ski‑exchange, but the incident did not prevent the American from skiing to victory.