Yle expert: Let 21-year-old Leevi Tarjanne, who shone at Olos, start in the Ruka World Cup

Several Finnish and international national-team skiers opened their season at the traditional Olos Tykkikisat.

The weekend’s main talking point came from outside the usual favorites: 21-year-old Espoon Hiihtoseura athlete Leevi Tarjanne unexpectedly finished 4th in the men’s 10 km classic, just 2.5 seconds off the win. He finished ahead of names like Federico Pellegrino, Markus Vuorela, and Arsi Ruuskanen. On Sunday’s 10 km freestyle, Tarjanne was 31st, a bit over a minute back, but he says he’s more of a classic specialist. The breakthrough brought a whirlwind day with little sleep amid messages and headlines.

Yle’s expert Kalle Lassila knew Tarjanne from junior ranks but did not anticipate this leap. He praised seeing young skiers make big steps forward, noting that surprise breakthroughs often occur at season’s first or last races when top athletes aren’t yet at peak form. What stood out most to him was Tarjanne’s absolute classic-skiing speed—far above anything he had shown before.

The Olos Tykkikisat function as selection races for Finland’s World Cup team for the season opener in Ruka at the end of November. Lassila believes Tarjanne should be given the chance to show his potential at the international level, arguing selections should weigh potential, expected upside, and proof of top speed.

Among the women, Kerttu Niskanen and Krista Pärmäkoski looked sluggish. On Saturday’s 10 km classic they placed 10th and 11th, over 40 seconds behind winner Johanna Matintalo. On Sunday’s 10 km freestyle, Pärmäkoski skipped the race; Niskanen finished 5th, 37 seconds behind Germany’s Helen Hoffmann. Niskanen acknowledged the heaviness but said such slow season starts are typical for her, and plans to race into form after a hard training block.

Lassila cautioned against drawing strong conclusions from opening races, saying many international-level skiers were still training hard at snow camps, which often causes day-to-day variance. He pointed to the Ruka World Cup as the next checkpoint—ideally athletes should be within striking distance there, though approaches differ by athlete. He noted that Iivo Niskanen typically wants to push hard and fight for the win at Ruka, while Finland’s top women often reach peak form over subsequent weekends.

Before the World Cup opener in Ruka, the Finnish Cup races take place 22–23 November (classic sprints Saturday, 20 km freestyle mass start Sunday), broadcast on Yle. Many athletes emphasized that their main goals are set for the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, with cross-country events in Val di Fiemme.