Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen: Ristomatti Hakola left out of Olympic team — reflects on Tour de Ski and critics of Val di Fiemme course

What’s being talked about?

All week the conversation has revolved around the Tour de Ski being cut down to six races in one country. Total race distance was under 50 km for athletes eliminated in sprints — in past Tours men have skied over 100 km.

A telling detail: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the Tour by 30.1 seconds over Mattis Stenshagen. Klæbo took both sprints and earned 60 bonus seconds from them; in the other races Stenshagen was more than a minute faster than Klæbo.

“Short and easy. An Italy tour. Boring,” Perttu Hyvärinen said bluntly about a sprint‑weighted circuit.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo made history by winning the overall Tour for the fifth time. Only Dario Cologna, Therese Johaug and Justyna Kowalczyk have reached four wins.

Finland’s head coach Teemu Pasanen thinks the Tour concept needs rethinking. Pasanen suggested that in Olympic years the Tour could be moved to the end of the season so it could be tougher and more demanding.

“This has lost some of its prestige. Athletes don’t focus on the overall standings; many come to contest individual races,” he said.

Yle expert Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen notes that a lighter Tour before the championships is kinder to athletes.

“That also has value — that as many as possible take part — but now it’s unusually short, which in a way lowers its value,” Saarinen said.

“At the end of the season there are often races in North America. You can’t do that at New Year’s — nobody would go. It’s important to take World Cup races there too.”

Surprise performers

Although Jasmi Joensuu has been consistently strong all season, Saarinen pointed to how dominant Joensuu’s win was and that she was second overall before the final climb.

“Her sprint skiing was so strong I wouldn’t have believed it. It’s great to see her fitness rising and skiing becoming relaxed,” Saarinen said. She praised Joensuu’s sprint win on the Olympic course in Val di Fiemme as an encouraging sign ahead of the Games.

Saarinen also singled out Teresa Stadlober as a surprise. The 32‑year‑old Austrian climbed to fourth in the final ascent and was third in the 20 km pursuit.

“She surprised across the board. I would never have believed she’d rise to second overall. I would even list Stadlober as an Olympic medal contender among the Norwegians and Swedes,” Saarinen said.

Flops

Norway’s Kristine Stavås Skistad had a poor Thursday race and received a yellow card for a technique infringement. Focused only on sprints, she ultimately didn’t get to Val di Fiemme because she fell ill.

“She even said FIS is chasing her and handing out yellow cards unfairly. No one is chasing anyone there. She only harmed herself with these antics,” Saarinen criticized. Stavås Skistad finished the 20 km race in terrible form.

Course controversy

The Val di Fiemme sprint track continues to be a talking point. Last year the course was widely criticized because nobody wanted to lead into the final descent — the draft benefit was huge.

This season the course was changed: after the Zorzi climb there is now a work section before the final descent instead of going straight into the downhill.

Discussion arose about the course length. Joensuu’s winning time was 3:45.75; earlier in the season women’s sprint winning times were 2:53.22 and 3:30.97.

Swedish experts Johan Olsson and Teodor Peterson condemned the course. “Considering that all World Cup sprints are much shorter, this becomes almost an entirely new race distance for women,” Peterson said.

Norway’s Heidi Weng said she’d be surprised if the Olympic course were the same.

FIS competition director Michael Lamplot said criticism will be listened to and that FIS must consider whether there’s time to make changes.

“Olympic courses are usually made a bit tougher. Those who have been good in sprints still did well. The important thing was that it didn’t decide on standing around on top of a hill,” Saarinen commented.

Saarinen added that what matters to her is that race outcomes are decided sportingly in the final climb and that a long final downhill and the seconds it yields are secondary.

“I don’t know what those Swedish men are grumbling about. They have very fit sprinters,” she said.

What’s next?

The final day for Olympic selections is 23 January. Before that Finland hosts national championships in Kuopio and World Cup racing in Oberhof.

Finland has seven men’s Olympic quota slots, with a possible eighth if small nations do not fill all places. Yle expert Ville Nousiainen said that besides the already selected Iivo Niskanen, Lauri Vuorinen and Arsi Ruuskanen, the other men who should be named now are Joni Mäki, Niko Anttola, Perttu Hyvärinen and Ristomatti Hakola; if an eighth spot opens he would pick Petteri Koivisto.

Saarinen’s list differs slightly: besides the three already chosen she would pick Joni Mäki, Niko Anttola, Perttu Hyvärinen and Niilo Moilanen. In her hierarchy Ristomatti Hakola would be the first man left out of a seven‑man squad.

“He withdrew from the Tour because of illness. I don’t know the illness details, but illnesses only push you downwards. That’s why I’d pick Moilanen, even though he’s mainly a sprinter. The relay, a 7.5 km race, is also possible,” Saarinen explained. She argued Moilanen can ski fast in skate races, hang on and finish strongly, as he showed in the Tour’s 5 km race.

On the women’s side the situation is clearer: Finland has eight Olympic places. Saarinen’s women's list includes Kerttu Niskanen, Krista Pärmäkoski, Jasmi Joensuu, Johanna Matintalo, Vilma Ryyty, Vilma Nissinen, Jasmin Kähärä and Amanda Saari — covering both Tour participants and sprinter Saari.

Women’s head coach Reijo Jylhä said the Finnish women who completed the Tour skied to their level and there were no flops.

The Milan–Cortina Olympic Winter Games will be broadcast on Yle 6–22 February 2026.