Lauri Vuorinen had a bad feeling from the morning — but Matintalo–Vuorinen couple still bright spots for Finland in Ruka sprint

The Ruka World Cup sprint did not bring a home celebration for Finland this year, but there were two Finnish finalists and a sixth place — and the two finalists even share the same home address.

Men’s sprint - Lauri Vuorinen, who was third at Ruka last season, showed good form in the early rounds. He was second in his quarterfinal and won his semifinal. However, the Norwegian front was too strong this year; Vuorinen ran out of power on the final climb and finished last in the final. - Vuorinen said the result came the hard way on a day when he had felt off since getting out of bed. He admitted he has been a bit over‑amped recently and couldn’t approach the races calmly, though his fitness has been good for a long time. - The top two places replicated last year: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo dominated for the win and Erik Valnes took second, with Ansgar Evensen completing a Norwegian podium sweep.

Women’s sprint - Johanna Matintalo, already the fastest Finn in qualifying, proved sharp in her semifinal, leading into the finishing straight before powerful double‑polers Kristine Stavås Skistad and Maja Dahlqvist came past. Matintalo reached the final on time. - In the final she followed Skistad but slipped to the back at the start of the last climb and couldn’t respond. Still, she was satisfied to be back in a World Cup final after a tougher sprint season last year. - Skistad was supreme on the finishing straight and even had time to sit up before the line, taking her first career win at Ruka. Jonna Sundling, twice advancing on time earlier, pushed into second, with Dahlqvist third.

Other Finns and incidents - Jasmi Joensuu, last year’s sprint globe winner and fifth at Ruka, led her semifinal but struggled with grip on the climbs and finished third; her time was not enough to advance. She said she lacked the legs compared to last weekend and likely had the slickest skis in the field but insufficient kick. - Emil Liekari delivered a surprise by winning his quarterfinal, which was so fast that Ristomatti Hakola missed a lucky loser spot. Liekari’s push faded on the last climb of the semifinal and he missed the final. - Jasmin Kähärä was strong in her quarter but stumbled on the final climb, losing a probable semifinal berth. She said she slipped off the track searching for grip and then tangled her pole — “basic fumbling” on an otherwise good‑feeling day. - Joni Mäki and Niilo Moilanen, both impressive in qualifying, were eliminated in the quarters. Mäki broke a pole trying to squeeze through. Moilanen’s pace died on the steep “wall” climb; he said pre‑heat kick tests hadn’t matched the glazed conditions by race time.

Overall, Finland’s highlights were Vuorinen’s and Matintalo’s finals — a bright spot for the couple — while Norway dominated the men and Skistad claimed a statement win in the women’s race.