Aino-Kaisa Saarinen’s sharp assessment of Iivo Niskanen’s problems: back pain and slow ski change hamper Finns in Trondheim

Finnish skiers have had a disappointing weekend so far at the Cross‑Country World Cup in Trondheim. In Saturday’s skiathlon races (20 km), the best Finns were Arsi Ruuskanen and Johanna Matintalo, both placing 14th.

Finland’s top names—Iivo Niskanen, Kerttu Niskanen, and Krista Pärmäkoski—finished well off the leaders. Iivo Niskanen placed 25th, 1:16.7 behind winner Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Speaking to Viaplay, Niskanen said his ski change went poorly and took a long time, after which the race became difficult. He felt he could not sustain the very fast pace he set on the classic portion and also reported some back pain during the race.

Yle’s cross‑country expert Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen highlighted the same issues—Niskanen’s slow ski change and his back troubles. “I noticed the ski change took a long time. Apparently the back isn’t just a little sore, it’s quite sore. It looks like Iivo has had trouble bending over; it seems bending is quite painful right now,” Saarinen assessed.

Women’s skiathlon and Finnish results - Kerttu Niskanen finished 19th and Krista Pärmäkoski 26th. - Race winner Jessie Diggins (USA) beat Kerttu Niskanen by 1:04.7; Pärmäkoski trailed the winner by 1:50.

Pärmäkoski told Viaplay she suffered heartburn and cramps in the race after eating a hamburger with a moldy bun at Friday’s lunch. Kerttu Niskanen said she gave everything on the classic leg and then faded on the free technique, and felt she also gave up time in equipment compared to rivals.

Saarinen said Kerttu Niskanen’s skiing “looks forced” at the moment—visible on both classic and skate—though she reminded viewers that last season Kerttu also struggled through the first two weekends before winning the 20 km classic in Davos on the third World Cup weekend. She hopes for a clear uptick within a week; otherwise “time will start to run short.”

State of the Finnish team and sprint takeaways - The Trondheim weekend also features events that will be on the Olympic program in February: Friday’s classic sprint and Saturday’s skiathlon. - Finland’s best Trondheim result so far is Jasmi Joensuu’s 7th place in the classic sprint (her second straight 7th after Ruka). To date this Olympic season, no Finn has reached the podium. The top Finnish result remains Iivo Niskanen’s 5th in Ruka’s 10 km classic. Lauri Vuorinen and Johanna Matintalo were both 6th in the Ruka classic sprint.

Saarinen sees Finland as clear underdogs early in the Olympic season and believes the top athletes are not yet at their best. Using Lauri Vuorinen as an example, she noted that while he has strong finishing speed, he loses in sustained pace. “We need to lift endurance pace a notch—this applies to the whole team. If the pace improves, everything gets easier,” she said. In Trondheim, Klæbo pushed hard in Vuorinen’s semifinal, and Vuorinen could not hold on, finishing 5th in his heat.

Saarinen nonetheless praised Saturday’s Finnish bright spots: Arsi Ruuskanen and especially Johanna Matintalo. Matintalo comfortably stayed with the lead pack on the classic portion—looking among the strongest technically—and produced her best skating form that Saarinen has seen, suggesting Matintalo is currently in good shape.

Sunday’s program in Trondheim features 10 km freestyle races (women then men), with live coverage on Yle Areena and TV2.