Expert Kalle Lassila would drop Perttu Hyvärinen from Finland’s Olympic XC team — skier fires back with blunt admission

Finland is in the final stretch of selecting its cross-country skiing squads for the 2026 Winter Olympics, with one more chance to impress at next week’s Davos World Cup before head coach Teemu Pasanen makes the call.

Current confirmed Finnish Olympians are Iivo Niskanen and Lauri Vuorinen for the men, and Jasmi Joensuu, Kerttu Niskanen, and Krista Pärmäkoski for the women. Yle’s cross-country expert Kalle Lassila presented his provisional lineups on Urheilustudio, noting the women’s picks were more straightforward than the men’s.

For the women, Lassila would add Johanna Matintalo, Vilma Ryytty, Jasmin Kähärä, Vilma Nissinen, and Amanda Saari. The tightest call was between Saari and Hilla Niemelä (12th in the Ruka sprint), but Saari got the nod based on multiple strong results last season and a better sprint in Trondheim (5th in qualifying, 17th overall) compared with Niemelä’s 33rd.

The men’s picture is more complicated due to broader depth. Beyond Iivo Niskanen and Lauri Vuorinen, Lassila’s seven-man performance-focused list emphasized peak-result potential, relays, and team sprint rather than maximizing four starters in every race. He named Arsi Ruuskanen, Niko Anttola, Ristomatti Hakola, Joni Mäki, and Niilo Moilanen. He cited Mäki’s team sprint value despite not yet nailing a marquee sprint result in Ruka or Trondheim.

A headline omission was Perttu Hyvärinen. Lassila pointed to Hyvärinen’s interrupted 2023–24 season, noting that Anttola’s 15th place in Sunday’s Davos-style skate race (reference to Cogne result comparison) was closer to the leaders than Hyvärinen’s comparable 17th last season. Listening in on Urheilustudio, Hyvärinen both nodded and raised his hands—but ultimately agreed with the assessment.

Hyvärinen admitted his early-season results have been poor and said he wouldn’t select himself “even as a ski tester.” He placed 25th in the 10 km classic and 36th in the 20 km freestyle mass start in Ruka, and skipped Trondheim after discussions with coach Pasanen to prioritize getting back on form. With training conditions limited by weather in Kuopio, he moved early to snow-sure Davos, where another 10 km freestyle awaits next weekend.

Despite the pressure, Hyvärinen said there is still time—about two months—to earn selection, adding he has left Olympic decisions late before. He praised the competitive environment, pointing to Norway’s fierce internal battle—Sunday’s Trondheim 10 km free was decided by 0.4 seconds between Einar Hedegart and Andreas Fjorden Ree, with Norwegian media suggesting Hedegart may have clinched an Olympic berth. In Finland, he highlighted the rise of newcomer Kalle Parantainen from the Trondheim World Cup weekend, while stressing that everyone still needs to raise their level.

Selections are expected to crystallize after the Davos World Cup, where Finnish athletes have one final chance to make their Olympic case.