Expert plays down Iivo Niskanen’s early-season form worries and notes Norwegians must peak sooner

Finland’s cross-country skiing season kicked off at the weekend with the opening Suomen Cup races in Vuokatti. The calendar continues with the Olos “Tykkikisat” in two weeks, followed by another Suomen Cup weekend in Ruka. The World Cup opener in Ruka is scheduled for the last weekend of November.

Most Finnish stars skipped Saturday’s sprints, but Sunday’s relays featured several top athletes. Among those opening their seasons were Iivo Niskanen, Perttu Hyvärinen, Joni Mäki, Remi Lindholm, Jasmin Kähärä and Eveliina Piippo.

Yle Sport expert Kalle Lassila summarized the opening weekend by saying there were no major surprises: expected athletes led the sprints, and many distance specialists formed the usual leading group in the relays. No one looked worryingly off-form, nor did anyone appear in peak condition—which, he noted, is not desirable this early in the season.

Iivo Niskanen’s early start raised eyebrows, as he last raced this early six years ago. In the freestyle relay’s second leg he was the fastest among his leg peers, 1.9 seconds quicker than private-team skier Juuso Haarala. Strong freestyle distance skier Remi Lindholm was about six seconds slower than Niskanen. Niskanen stressed that his form is far from complete; a fractured finger in May has put him slightly behind his usual training schedule.

According to Lassila, Niskanen’s choice to start early suggests things are broadly on track: the skiing showed good humor and reasonable speed relative to national-team standards on those courses and distances. With three months to the Milan–Cortina Olympics, Lassila urged against concern, pointing to Niskanen and coach Olli Ohtonen’s typically meticulous preparation.

Niskanen himself does not expect to be at his best for the Ruka World Cup. Statistically, Ruka’s interval-start classic race is his best venue—he has five wins there, including last year’s 10 km interval-start. Lassila said the Ruka Suomen Cup in three weeks will better indicate Niskanen’s current level, adding that while Niskanen should be competitive against the Norwegians in the Ruka World Cup, it isn’t necessary to win at that stage.

Lassila emphasized that Norwegian men need to be sharp already in Ruka due to fierce internal competition for Olympic spots, a pressure Niskanen does not share as he builds towards the Games. Even short of peak, Niskanen can still contend for top places in his preferred event at the Ruka opener, and should at least be in the mix.

Beyond Niskanen, Lassila saw encouraging signs from Olympic medalist Joni Mäki, who anchored Pohti Ski Team to a comfortable relay win and looked smooth after a couple of difficult seasons. On the women’s side, Jasmin Kähärä impressed while anchoring Vuokatti’s relay victory; although sprint is her speciality, her endurance over the 6 km leg looked easy and promising.

The Finnish season now builds toward Ruka’s domestic races and the World Cup opener, where form relative to international rivals—especially the Norwegians—will come into clearer focus.