Yle: Iivo Niskanen to coach himself going forward; long-time coach Olli Ohtonen steps back but stays in support role

Finland’s leading cross-country star Iivo Niskanen, 33, has decided to end his close day-to-day coaching relationship with Olli Ohtonen and will coach himself moving forward. According to Yle’s reporting, the decision—confirmed by sources inside the national team—means Niskanen will personally plan his entire training program. He is expected to explain his reasoning later in the week.

Niskanen and Ohtonen began working together in spring 2013, forming one of the most successful partnerships in Finnish sport. Under Ohtonen’s guidance, Niskanen won Olympic gold medals in 2014, 2018 and 2022, plus additional medals in Beijing 2022, and captured the 15 km classic interval-start world title at Lahti 2017. Recent major championships have been disappointing: Niskanen failed to record an individual success at Planica 2023 and missed the Trondheim 2025 Worlds entirely after contracting influenza.

Despite stepping back from hands-on coaching, Ohtonen will continue in a key background role, especially as a testing specialist in Vuokatti, where Niskanen regularly undergoes treadmill assessments to monitor training effectiveness. Their relationship remains good; Ohtonen was seen trackside during Niskanen’s recent high-intensity session. A similar flexible model has been used for years by Krista Pärmäkoski and coach Matti Haavisto.

Niskanen is preparing outside the national team setup for the Olympic season. He skipped the current Olos races, opened his season at the Finnish Cup in Vuokatti, and is aiming for the World Cup opener in Ruka at the end of November. He has mainly trained at home in Kuopio and recently spent time training in Northern Norway with Erik Valnes. If he were to win gold at Milano–Cortina 2026, he would become the first cross-country skier with Olympic golds at four different Games. He also hinted last year he could continue to a fifth Olympics in 2030, which would also include the Lahti 2029 World Championships on his schedule.

Ohtonen served on Finland’s national team coaching staff from 2014 to 2017 and twice won Finland’s Coach of the Year (2017, 2018). He earned a PhD in sport science (sports technology) from the University of Jyväskylä in 2019, with a dissertation related to skate skiing.

Niskanen’s self-coaching choice mirrors a broader trend among experienced elite athletes, with several Finnish female track-and-field standouts—such as hurdlers Nooralotta Neziri and Lotta Harala, and pole vaulter Wilma Murto—also opting to coach themselves.

Head coach Teemu Pasanen declined to comment on the change when contacted. The pair initially connected through Esko Paavola, who coached Niskanen at the Sotkamo ski high school, and who helped bring Ohtonen and Niskanen together in 2013.